Winter Bloom: Ties to Frozen Tears
by Byakuei
Summary: AU. But it's okay, she thinks, because she believes she's in bliss, that she is in heaven. Her mind drifts between dream and reality, but eventually it goes blank. Ulrika-centric. Also added to the title a bit.
1. Bliss oh Bless, Hopeless

**A/N: New Story! Okay, so I know I shouldn't considering how many other stories I have out and on hold, but I can't help it. I really want to write this one. This story is Ulrika-centric because well, duh, she's my favorite character and I want more stories about her. I also promise to update my other Mana Khemia fanfics SOON! Because really, MK2 might not be as good or popular as MK1, but I think it was still pretty fun and I wish the MK series had a bigger fandom.**

**Anyways, this story was inspired to me by another game and I hope I can make this one enchanting, too. Pairing should be quite obvious so I won't say it. But if you really must know, check my profile or message me. Or continue reading to find out.**

**Disclaimer: Mana Khemia belongs to Gust. I just write fanfictions and draw fanarts.**

**UPDATE: This chapter has recently been edited so there is a bit of new dialogues added, but nothing that changes the story.**

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><p>The first thing she sees is a bunch of colorful blurs rendered by the afternoon rays. Her mind is in a daze as she squints to protect her eyes while lifting a hand to shadow her face. The smell of lilacs and floral extracts stream into her nose along with the sweet aroma of nectar. She feels the soft, rubbery flesh of petals and stems pet against her skin, massaging her with pleasure. She believes this is bliss, that she's in heaven, but a looming shadow blocks out the light as it hovers above her. She hears a dull, bleary echo coming from the shadow, but is unable to make any sense of it. Another shadow appears and that too is unclear. Her mind wanders between dream and reality, but eventually it goes blank.<p>

...

The next time she opens her eyes, she is met with a wooden roof, dim lighting, and a pair of round, bouncy bosoms draping closely to her face, but is soon replaced by pink chunks of hair and an overly wide smile.

"Hiya! Glad to see you finally awake!" says the pink haired woman. In a matter of seconds, a high pitch squeal erupts from her throat as well as the being above her. They simultaneous scamper away before crying out.

"W-whahhh! Th-that scared me!" cries the lady with the large bosoms. "Why'd you do that for?"

The lady in question backs away until she hits the wall and panics.

"W-where am I? H-how'd I get here? Who are you? What did you do to me?" she screams, fear present in her emerald green eyes.

"Huh?" questions the other girl, "What'd I do? I brought you here silly," she replies as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh! I'm Et and I found you outside in the -" but before she could finish...

"Oi! What the hell happened here?" cries a light blue haired man with his bangs clipped back. "Stupid sis?"

"Ah! Enna, ahahahah," laughes the girl on the floor, "ummm...I'm not sure, hehe."

The blue haired young man proceeds to face palm himself until he notices the strange girl huddled away in bed.

"Oh, you're awake," he says.

The girl only stares at him and looks down to the girl before her.

"Oh, this is Enna, my younger brother," Et introduces, while the younger boy only nods. "Uhh, I still haven't gotten your name."

The girl's attention perks up and nervously starts to twirl her long blonde hair. "Oh. I-I'm Ulrika..." she says quietly. They look at her questioningly.

"So, Ulrika, do you know what happened to you? We found you in the middle of the flower field on the other side of the mountain just sleeping away. You wouldn't wake up at all so we brought you here."

Ulrika looks at them quizzically and turns around to look through the small window only to see the black sky and shadows.

"Where is here?" she asks without answering the previous question.

"You're in Neah, a village south of the Terin Kingdom. You're not from around here, but you should at least know about our village. It's famous for its winter festival," replied Enna.

The blonde girl, Ulrika, shook her head. "Never heard of this place in may entire life."

They look at her with a bit of surprise.

"Wow, its so weird that you've never heard of Neah. People from all over the world come here just for the festival! Did you hit your head or something? Maybe you have a memory problem," says Et. Enna on the other hand raises his eyebrows and looks at his older sister with disbelief.

"Anyways, you're free to stay here as long as you want, but if you want to go home, we won't stop you...that is, if you know how."

"Ah, that's right! Ne, Ulrika-chan, if you need help, I'll help you get home. Just give us the name of your village and we'll get you home in no time," offers Et.

"I'm from..." Ulrika begins, but for some reason Ulrika can't seem recall its name. She thinks hard while the others watch her.

"I...I don't know," she finally replies, awestruck.

"How do you not know?" asks Enna with a hint of annoyance. She could tell that he thought she was just screwing around, causing her to frown.

"I just don't and I'm not kidding. For some reason I can't recall the name of where I'm from and frankly, I don't even remember how I-"

And suddenly she sees a flash of white, a shadow of a man as he walks away, and then there was nothing.

"Ulrika-chan?" she hears her name and turns to see who called her.

"Are you okay? You look like someone just died in front of you," says Et.

"U-uhu-huh? O-oh...s-sorry..." Ulrika mumbles. What was that she wonders? She also realizes that she momentarily stopped breathing.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should get more rest, we can talk more later," suggests Enna. According to her behavior, he worries she might be suffering from some kind of traumatic experience.

"A-ah..." she replies, "thanks, that would be nice."

With that, they wish her good night and leave Ulrika in solitude. She starts to wonder what that image was, but she dismisses it for sleep, that is if she can at all.

...

The next morning came and still Ulrika could not recall a thing. When she asked them how they found her, they laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

"I was just admiring the view and picking some flowers and suddenly there was this hand that popped out of no where!" squeals Et. "I thought you were a zombie or something. I was prepared to take you down, but then Enna came and stopped me, hehe. Don't you think that a zombie popressy would be cool?"

"Zombie apocalypse, stupid." He sighs before turning his attention towards Ulrika.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be dead...actually, it still amazes me that you weren't already frozen to death," says Enna.

Apparently, winter had just hit Terin Kingdom and escalated down toward the small village. Now that he mentioned it, Ulrika can visibly see her breath form and vanish before her eyes. It was odd, she didn't feel cold at all even with the summer wear she had on.

"Ne, Ulrika-chan, do you want to borrow my clothes? It's pretty cold lately," offers Et as she motioned towards the door.

Ulrika shook her head, "Thanks, but no thanks. I doubt I can fit your clothes anyways."

From the moment Ulrika first saw Et, she knew there was no comparison.

"Eh? But don't you want something fresh and clean? You need to shower too since you've been sleeping the whole day."

"You shouldn't be talking," scoffs Enna. "Besides, compared to her, you're a giant."

"W-wuh?" Et looks at him exasperated. Then she twiddles her fingers together and sighs.

"Y-your right, Enna...Ulrika would fit your clothes better."

"W-what are you saying!" he shrieks, "I'm a guy!"

"Yeah, but you're smaller than me, Enna! Be nice to Ulrika-chan!"

Enna turns away and hesitantly looks towards Ulrika. She looks back and they both realize...Et is right.

In terms of build, Et was tall for most girls and bustier. Not only that, she was thin yet judging from the shape and thickness of her skin, Et is also quite muscular. Unlike Enna, he measured about the same height as his sister if not a wee bit taller, which was about average for guys, except he was so skinny he seemed almost as tiny as Ulrika. Sure he was a good few inches taller, but his less than masculine physique made him look quite feminine in her eyes. Not to mention his hair was tossed close to his chin and the hair clip holding his bangs back added nicely to his pretty boy look. If it weren't for his voice, she was sure he would be mistaken as a girl. As if he read her mind, Enna blushes.

"F-fine," he grunts, "I'll be back."

Moments later, Enna emerged with a pair of clean clothes and nearly tossed it to her. In annoyance, Ulrika glares back at him and mutters a quick 'thank you'. Et had left earlier to start a bath for her leaving her with only Enna in the guest room.

"Well? What are you waiting for? The waters gonna go cold," barked Enna still sore from the earlier conversation.

Ulrika just rolls her eyes and proceeds to leave, tailing behind Enna.

"U-um, thanks for taking me in," Ulrika mumbles slightly blushing. She hears a few muffled words, but is unable to register it.

"I said I didn't do anything," he grumbles.

"But-" she starts, but halts as she recognizes the growing redness on his cheeks bathed in humiliation.

"O-oh well, thanks anyways, and thanks for lending me your clothes. Tell Et I said thanks, too."

"You can do that during breakfast."

...

After her warm bath, Ulrika went out to eat breakfast. They spent a good amount of time eating and chatting away. She learns that their cabin is located on the outskirts of Neah village, right beside the woods that lead to the summit. The cabin actually belongs to a close friend who lets them stay over whenever they feel like it as long as they take proper care of it. In exchange, they helped him get a place in Terin Kingdom, but due to work there, he rarely comes home.

After hours of talk, they came to the conclusion that Ulrika would stay with them until they can help her get home. While living together, Ulrika would help with the housework in return. It was about noon when they set off to do chores. After cleaning around the living room, Ulrika sought company from the siblings. Apparently, Et was out chopping firewood and Enna was left to prepare dinner. According to Enna, he'd rather catch his own prey and eat it raw before he'd let Et touch the stove.

"So..." Enna starts without looking at her, "how is it?"

"How's what?" Ulrika asks. He doesn't reply immediately, but a few seconds later it clicks in her head.

"O-oh!" she squeals, "Thanks, they are a bit long, but they fit all right."

Enna briefly glances at Ulrika to see her clad in his navy blue v-neck sweater and the smallest pants he could find in his closet. He didn't ask her until now because he was too embarrassed with Et around. They were clothes he kept from when he hit puberty and had grown out of them a few years ago. Still it hung quite loosely against her flesh and the v went down a little further than normal, but it wasn't anything close to revealing. The pants she wore were his old sweats with adjustable strings. Ulrika also borrowed a hair tie from him so she could keep her locks from getting in her way during chores. Her low ponytail swished passed her bottom, giving her a casual, yet preserved look. Overall, she didn't look as bad as he though she would, but there was no way he'd say that out loud.

"I see," her replied moments later.

"So...is there anything I can help with?" Ulrika asks changing the topic in awkwardness. It made her feel a bit squirmish to be examined so intently, that and the fact she never wore male clothes before.

"Can you cook?"

"I can. It's a survival skill if you live alone."

"You lived alone?" he continues to question her.

"Uh...yeah..." It came out weird the way she said it.

Ulrika doesn't know why, but she knows, yet it seems like such a distant memory. She can't quite place her finger on it, but somehow, someway, it feels like something is keeping her from remembering her life. It wasn't as if she couldn't recall any memories. She remembers bits of her childhood, her parents, her age, birthday, those sorts of things. But when she tried to recall what happened to her, it's foggy. There's a face, a feeling, but it's cloudy. She tries to remember hobbies or moments that stood out to her, but nothing comes up.

"Oi, Ulrika."

She hears Enna calling her out of her daze. "Oh, sorry."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...I think." Her reply leaves him confused like she. They remain silent for a while until Enna speaks up.

"You're not from here...that much I can tell."

He pauses and then starts again. "The way you dress, it's a bit old fashion so I'm assuming you are from the country side, but on the other hand...the way you talk is just like us. You understand everything we say, which means you're from this kingdom."

He looks at her with steady eyes, but suddenly turns away. Ulrika can't help, but feel a stiffness in her shoulders.

"But they all contradict with the clothes you wore..."

He remembers when they found her lying in the field. She looked so peaceful and serene that it felt like a sin to disturb her sleep, until he saw her flashing green eyes behind half open lids. Her hair was sprawled and tangled within the flowers. Her white top hung loose and flattened against her chest. She had it tucked under her long, pleated red skirt that flapped gently against the breeze. Even in the freezing weather, a small smile finds its way to her lips.

In a tiny voice, he mutters, "Just who are you? And where are you from?"

"Enna-" her voice pipes up, but is soon dismissed.

"Anyways, don't worry about dinner. Go help Et bring in the firewood, she should be about done."

She stares at his back in silence before replying, "Alright."

After making her way out of the kitchen, Ulrika steps out of the living room door and into the winter world. She spots Et at the edge of the cabin stacking the chopped wood, preparing to hull them in.

"Ah, Ulrika-chan!" calls out Et. "What are you doing out here?"

"Enna told me to come out and help you bring in the firewood."

"Oh, thanks Ulrika-chan, but I'm fine. This is as easy as...as um...boiling noodles!"

"Enna also said he wouldn't let you come near the stove."

"Geh! Did he? W-what else did he say about me?" Judging from her behavior, even Ulrika could tell that cooking is an impossible task for the pink haired girl.

"Oh well, just watch Ulrika-chan!" With her spirit lifted, Et suddenly hurled the mountain of firewood as if she were picking up tiny rags.

Ulrika gasps at Et's amazing display of strength. It seemed too phenominal for Ulrika to believe that her eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets.

"Heehee, come on Ulrika-chan! After I bring it in, let's have a snowball fight!" cheered the optimistic fluff of pink. As Ulrika gulped and tried to turn her down, Et disappeared into the cabin and reemerged in a matter of seconds.

"Hooray! Since Enna's cooking, he can't play with us, but it's okay with just us two."

And once again, she tries to decline, but a cold sonic swish zooms past her so fast, she can barely register it at all.

"I-I just bathed!" Ulrika screams, but her voice dies as another flurry is launched at her.

"Ulrika-chan, do your best!" calls out Et as she ensues a war with snow.

'Oh heavens, I'm gonna die!' her mind screams. Twisting her body around, Ulrika sets off into a sprint and into the nearby woods as humongous snowballs are hurled at her.

As she runs she can hear loud smacks against trees and the sound of crumbling that isn't snow. She gulps and speeds into the forest, trying to get away from Et. It amazes her that she's still alive and breathing.

Seconds, later, Ulrika realizes she trailed away from the cabin to run away from Et. Fortunately the sun is still out and she can retrace her steps. Following the footprints, she comes upon a trail she doesn't recognize, but then again, she ran so fast she barely saw the scenery at all.

"I-I guess it's this way," Ulrika mutters to herself not completely confident if she should. But hey, it wasn't as if she were lost. She just happened to run through the woods without looking at which direction she was headed. She could backtrack, easy peasy.

The more she walks on, the path seems to stray further and further into the woods and every step she takes, a little more of her courage slips away. but still she refuses to believe she was lost.

Ulrika takes a moment to take in the surrounding and realizes that it started to snow. The footprints were slowly being covered and were nearly invisible causing her to panic. In her frenzy, her legs seem to pick itself up and scurry off after the leftover prints.

"Oh no, oh no!" she shrieks. The snow falls harder and begins to obscure her eyes. Soon, she can't even see trees any more. The thought of being buried alive creeps under her skin like the cold sensation provided by the icy touch. She doesn't stop running, until one step leads her sinking into a pile of fresh snow. She struggles to pull herself out while crying for help, only to have it drowned by the winds fury.

"Et! Enna!" she cries. It's no use. They don't know where she is, she herself doesn't even know, yet she continues to struggle.

It doesn't matter what she does, it's futile. The helpless feeling sinks into her like her foot sunk into the snow. It was a cold and desperate feeling. The white wonderland scares her because all she sees is snow and nothing else. It continues to bury everything, leaving her with nothing and she's afraid of that.

"Get out, get out, get out!" she berates herself, but she sinks further down causing her to release a frilly shrill.

And suddenly, like she wished, the snow breaks freeing her from its cold clutches, but now she's falling. She remembers tumbling down and suddenly slamming into something hard before coming to a halt.

The white cold that surrounds her, swallows her, becomes her, slowly overtakes her. The white like the flash, leaves her breathless and again the shadow of a man is walking away. And it is the same white that blurs her vision, the same white that stole from her everything she knew and treasured. It is the same white she unknowingly hates from the core of her heart because it leaves her with a beautiful glimpse full of nothing.

But in that instant she hates, a speck of blue renders into her vision amongst the purest whites. The touch of warmth clasps around her body unlike the dreadingly, icy snow. The feel of silky strands, tickle her nose along with a hint of mints. It's not beautiful like the first sight she saw, but it's warm and inviting. The blur of white mixed with the light blue in her eyes piece together to form the shadow of a man so close that she almost doesn't breathe. Light blue strands brush against her cheek and she feels like maybe this time, she'll be taken to heaven.

"E-Enna...?" she whispers. She hears a dull ring and the echo of pounding snow mute any and all voice.

But it's okay, she thinks, because she believes she's in bliss, that she is in heaven. Her mind drifts between dream and reality, but eventually it goes blank.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 end<strong>


	2. Saved by Strangers

**A/N: So I'm really into this right now and want to proceed forward. I'm thinking of putting the other stories on hold until I finish this one. Who knows, I change my mind all the time. Continuing on with the story, here's chapter two and a little warning I forgot to mention in the previous chapter.**

**The characters are a bit- OOC, but mind you this is an AU fic, which means that the events taken place in the original doesn't necessarily happen in this one to construct their natural personalities. Thus, they may appear different than their original counterparts.**

**Update: 12/6 Chapter 1&2 have been adjusted. Minor changes, but just a heads up.**

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><p>The next time she opens her eyes, the familiar scene hits her like a slap to the face. The wooden roof, the dim lighting, and the same pair of bosoms nearly colliding her face, soon to be replaced by the same goofy smile from her pink haired frenzy of a friend.<p>

"Ulrika-chan!" she exclaims with joy. The frequency of her shrill voice scratches against Ulrika's ear drums causing her to wince. "You're awake!"

"Yep, fine and dandy," she slurs a bit, rubbing the pain out of her ears. Et on the other hand bounces around with joy at her awakened friend, but suddenly freezes and screeches sending another painful breach against Ulrika's poor ear defense.

"I have to tell Enna! He's worried too!"

Suddenly, the moments of white and blue clash in Ulrika's head as she remembers her unlikely hero in the midst of the blaring winter cold.

"Ah! Et, wait," she calls after the ecstatic girl, "tell Enna-!"

But she never finishes. The pink girl runs out of the room as fast her attention span leaving Ulrika unattended.

She sighs at the girl, but dismisses her worries. Instead, she wonders if Enna was really able to carry her back. She remembers the details of his lean frame that hardly carried any muscle. He looks like the kind of guy who has trouble opening the cap of blueberry jams and just trying would mar his delicate skin.

Further away, she could hear Et's loud voice and Enna's cry to calm down. Actually, it sounded as if he just woke up. Glancing at the window view, it was dark once more. She wonders how long she slept and reprimands herself to not make it a habit.

While Ulrika sat in bed, she wonders how long it would take for them to come back, or maybe she should just go to them instead. Getting out of bed, she makes her way down the hall, but does not proceed further than the bathroom. It's been a while since she checked up on herself, she thinks. Eh, why not? She can spare a moment.

Grabbing the handle, she turns the knob, but it remains stuck in place.

'That's weird,' she thinks, 'it was fine earlier today.'

She tries again with no such luck and the door remains closed.

'Could it be broken?' she wonders as she tries again. The door appears jammed and much to her annoyance, she attempts once more to open the door

"Ugghh! What's wrong with this stupid door?"

Ulrika adds more force into her arms and pushes against the wood. Mustering all her strength she presses hard against it while leaning in with her weight. Her hands still on the knob, she twists it with so much force she could make lemonade and not waste a single drop of citrus.

"Oh come on! You. Stupid. Door. Open. Waah!" she wails as the door finally unlocks and flings her across the other side. Ulrika lands with a soft 'umph' with her body sprawled across the warm, wet, soft surface. She thinks to herself she's lucky there's carpet, but realizes there's no fur flanking her. Instead she's graced with smooth, silky, flesh, warm and wet from a bath.

A cough is from above her head. Emerald green meets aqua blue in a clash of whirling sparks.

She notices damp, turquoise tresses clamped around his cheeks and another mess on his forehead. He quirks his eyebrows in slight annoyance, but the pinkish tint on his cheeks suggest embarrassment. For a moment she believes she sees Enna, but the difference is obvious.

His damp outstretched hair clung to his shoulders and fell towards his broad chest. His jaw is longer and more constructed than Enna's. She could also feel over his layer of skin that underneath were tough and sinewy muscles. Although he didn't appear much bigger than Enna, he seemed to carry more weight and strength in his refined physique. But the most obvious difference was in his eyes. Although it displayed the same hint of annoyance, she could see a somewhat cold and distant existence beyond the blue dark depths. The shape of his eyes were sharper and smaller than Enna's wide and almost doe like eyes. They appear cold and mean, almost, but in a way, beautiful in its own right.

She hears coughing once more and stiffens instantly. The man before her stares at her and purses his lips, then unseals it to produce a deep, velvety voice.

"Do you mind?" he asks.

At this point, Ulrika doesn't know whether she should scream in embarrassment like a shoujo manga girl and blush like crazy or faint from a nose bleed with a good dream on its way.

The answer is neither.

"Ulrika-chan! Oiiiiiii! Where'd you go Ulrika-! Oh...Ah, Enna!" yells Et.

"Keep it down would you! Baka onee- uwahhh..." gasps Enna as he comes into view.

"I-it's not what it looks like," Ulrika replies weakly.

"Hm? What does it look like? Ne, ne. Roze, why is Ulrika-chan on top of you?"

They all blush with the exception of Et.

Ohhh goddess, could anyone be anymore ignorant.

...

The night slowly slips away and morning comes into view once more. Ulrika acquired little sleep as she shared the bed for the night. After last nights incident, an awkward atmosphere intruded the small cabin. With only two rooms available, Ulrika was asked to share a room with Et, but according to Enna, she snored frequently and quite loudly. Originally they thought to have them share the bed Ulrika was using, but Et turned out to be a dangerous sleeper as well, grabbing and clinging to whatever she gets a hold of. Even from a distance, a sudden impact against the stomach from a very known direction is at risk, says Enna. Again, its an amazing feat to survive her monstrous strength.

There were many options for rooming, but in the end she ended up in the most bizarre and awkward arrangement. Few pieces of furniture laid out in the living room, but not quite big enough to sleep in, neither was it suitable unless you like the feel of rough wood and waking up with splinters.

So Ulrika ended up in the guest room which turns out to be the master room. The room apparently belonged to the new stranger, or should she say owner of the cabin. His bed was also the biggest, a queen size, which meant it could hold two people, while the siblings had twin size beds.

Enna almost roomed with her for the night, but there was a feeling of intrusion amongst the male's privacy. Also, apparently Enna was the only one capable of ignoring his sister's ridiculous snore and sleeping habits.

Ulrika ended up sharing the bed beside the 'unintentional' owner who promised to keep to himself. They split the bed in half and secured a good amount of space. The owner brought out an extra pillow and blanket from his closet to use. There weren't enough sheets or blankets to spread on the floor and it being winter made it extra uncomfortable. Wary from the night's events, the owner exchanged only brief words and lumbered into a deep sleep.

Ulrika on the other hand struggled to find sleep as she slept a good few hours earlier. She knew the male would not harm her in any way, but thoughts continued to plague her. It wasn't until hours later that she finally became wary of her internal struggle that sleep came to her. And as she lulled herself to sleep, she couldn't help but notice she never properly introduced herself to the owner.

…..

Ulrika wakes up to find herself alone in bed. By the time she woke up, breakfast (or maybe it's lunch) was already prepared. She scurries out of bed and hurries into the bathroom to liven up before heading to the dining room.

When she reaches the table, she notices that the owner isn't there.

"Ne, Enna, have you seen Roze?" asks Et.

"Ah. He went out to shovel a path since it snowed in a bit yesterday. He says that he has business in Terin tomorrow so he's clearing it for foothold. It won't fall for a while so its pretty safe out for now."

"Ah, then I should help him," offers Et, but before she could decide, the sound of creaking wood swishes and shuts with a clank. They turn around to find Roze by the cabin door smothered with snow. He takes off his coat and hangs it near the chimney to dry.

"Yo, nii-chan. Lunch is ready," calls Enna.

"Ah. Thanks Enna, but I think I'll take a bath first," he replies.

"Oh, we're melting the snow now so it should be done by the time you finish eating."

"I see," he replies and walks over to the table. "I hope you don't mind me taking a seat, miss."

Ulrika looks up at him and eagerly shakes her head. His behavior compared to earlier is different. His sudden politeness takes her by surprise.

After Enna lays out the dishes, they all take a seat and prepare to eat.

"Ah! Sorry," apologizes Et. "We haven't introduced you guys yet. Ulrika-chan, this is Roze, he's the owner of the cabin. Roze this is Ulrika-chan. We found her in the what's that flower field on the other side of the mountain."

Roze looks at her with mild surprise and turns his attention to Ulrika. Ulrika looks at him with confusion, but extends her hand in a formal matter.

"Nice to meet you, Roze-san," she says politely. Regaining his composure, he takes her hand to affirm their handshake. It feels incredibly awkward at the table, but leave it to Et to not be able to sense the mood.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ulrika-san," he responds.

"Please just call me Ulrika. It's more comforting to my ears."

"Then please just call me Roze." Even though they dropped the formalities, common courtesy was still in play. That awkward barrier remains prevalent.

Not many words were exchanged between them as they munched on their meals. Roze was the first to excuse himself for a bath. The others stayed with Ulrika to keep her company.

"Roze isn't much of a talker," informs Enna. "He's a good guy though."

Ulrika simply nods.

"I'll help you clean up."

"Thanks."

...

After rinsing and drying the silver ware, they put away the china safely storing them in the oak carved cupboards. Ulrika decides to clean the kitchen while Enna and Et went out to fetch more wood and snow for the bath. Having finished with chores, Ulrika heads down the hallway to find Roze warmly dressed in a thermal long sleeve and sleek pants. She watches him eye the bathroom door and constantly tinkering with the door knob.

She feels nervous and keeps away, but her head tells her to quit being a wimp and buck up. She slowly approaches him and greets him and he acknowledges her in return.

"What are you doing?" she asks curiously. She found it strange to fawn over a single door, the bathroom door no less.

"Checking to see if it's broken," he answers her reverting his attention. She blushes as she remembers forcing the door open and landing on him. She opens her mouth to apologize, but he cuts her off.

"Don't worry, it's working properly."

"I-I didn't know you were in there," she defends.

"I figured."

Still not looking at her, Roze turns away and proceeds to his room. Ulrika frozen on her spot, couldn't comprehend his sudden brashness. It irked her a bit, but she knew it was her fault. If someone nearly destroyed her property, she'd bring hell to his/her haven and make sure they paid in full. Not only that, but if a guy were to magically pop up on top of her, she was sure she'd send him flying back to lala land.

But she let it slide. Instead, what she really wants is to get over the uneasiness. It was already decided she would stay, without his knowing and she couldn't possibly handle days, weeks, maybe months of ensuing nervous chats and quiet dinners.

She enters his room and finds him leaning against the window. She doesn't realize until now just how empty the house is.

The living room has a small wooden chair seated near the fireplace and a table with stationaries. The dining room contains the basic ornaments used in daily life. Aside from the necessities, she found no pictures or decorations for that matter. She caught a glimpse of Et and Enna's room, earlier and saw picture frames set on their dressers. A separate table lay at the edge of the room filled with boxes and utensils. They even had a desk to work on.

Roze's didn't have those things. There were no boxes or trash laying around, or even a table with personal items. Besides the bed, it was basically empty.

Roze catches her gaze on him and gives her a quizzical glance. Ulrika marches forward and views through the window beside him.

He doesn't say anything and lets her be.

"Do you want to be alone?" she asks.

He merely shrugs. "I don't mind you being here."

"Am I bothering you?" she inquires and he shakes his head.

"Can I keep talking to you?"

He ponders for a bit and replies, "suit yourself."

It's quiet for a few minutes, but Ulrika finally pipes up.

"What do you do for fun, Roze?"

Again, he ponders. "There isn't much to do here. I mainly stay at my dorm in the city."

"Then, what do you do over there?"

"I work."

"What do you work as?"

"A knight."

"A knight?"

"A knight," he repeats with slight annoyance.

"Then why'd you come back? Aren't you busy?"

"I live here." His tone is flat and dry.

"I know," she huffs with a tint of frustration.

"Et and Enna are from the city, but they're staying here temporarily right? What did you do before they came? You...don't have much stuff. Aren't you bored being alone?"

"I wasn't always alone."

"Huh? Oh, well yeah...no one's always alone..." Ulrika drifts. She feels as if she stepped on a landmine. The nervous tension drapes her like a scarf and she doesn't know what to say.

"My parents passed away when I was too little to remember." Roze looks at her with a vacant expression. "I lived with my grandpa up until five years ago. He passed away just after I got my honorary title."

Ulrika stares at him for a moment and mumbles a small apology. He shakes his head and tells her it isn't necessary. After moments of senseless rambling, Ulrika finally shuts up after running out of questions. She doesn't know what to say or do to break the tension that comes with his Idon'ttalkmuch aura. Compared to before however, she definitely made progress.

"What about you?" he asks. At this point, Ulrika no longer believes he's as antisocial as she presumed.

"What about me? She asks.

"Where are you from? What do you do? Those sorts of things."

"Oh," she mouths and scratches the back of her head with unease, "ummm... I'm not really sure where I'm from."

Her answer is returned with a quirked eyebrow and arms crossing his chest.

"I'm not lying," she mumbles, remember the conversation with Et and Enna. "I don't remember the name for some reason and I can't recall it either. I can tell you that my village was warm all year round and never snowed. We had harvest festivals, but that's as festive as it got, besides the New Year's cheer."

"New Year's cheer...we have that here too."

"Really? Great, I want to join in on the fortune frenzy. Last year, my fortune told me I would have the worst year ever!"

"Hm, so how did the year go for you?" he asks, slightly amused. His expression is still a bit cold, but at least he seems relaxed.

"It really was the worst." Ulrika grunts. She grits her fist and shakes it angrily as she recalls her misfortune.

"I lost my favorite scarf, my necklace was stolen, and because of my terrible timing, I was framed for taking the mayor's prized hat." As she continues to ramble, he finds her stories interesting and 'funny' to listen to.

Not only that," he hears her say, " I was cursed by my best friend-" she stops.

"Ulrika?" he calls, but she doesn't waver. Her abrupt silence is strange and unbecoming.

"My...my best friend...?" she asks. Roze looks at her slightly worried. Ulrika's complexion turns almost as white as snow.

"Hey..." he calls again, but this time it seems to faze her.

"A-ah right, s-sorry. I can't really remember much after that..."

It's strange, but he believes her. The look on her face was that of a lost lamb.

"A-anyways," Ulrika proceeds, "Enna says this village is famous for it's winter festival. What's that like?"

He eyes her for a moment and realizes she wants to change the subject, so he follows her lead.

"It's a three day event. The first day is customary. We parade the town with flowers picked from Isis' meadow and offer it to the souls lost during the Raidaru war. They say that the goddess ordered the villagers to tribute the flowers as a sign of penetance."

Isis' meadow? Raidaru war? They ring a bell in her head, but she's unsure of its familiarity.

"The second day is the day we feast and share our fortune with family and friends as a sign of good grace. And the last day is known as the Winter Bloom."

"Winter Bloom?" Ulrika questions. He nods. He's sure he piqued her interest.

"On that day, we go to the summit and pray for the lost souls so they can find peace and move on. We also pray for our loved ones and wish them protection. We also thank the living and the goddess for her hospitality and if our prayers are heard, the Winter Bloom occurs. It's the main and last event."

"Wait, you still haven't told me exactly what it is," she gives him a pleading look and eagerly waits for the details. Her reactions are ever changing and he wonders if he can keep up with it.

"Et and Enna found you in a flower field right?" he asks. She nods.

"That's Isis' meadow, it was once a lake. Neah is the only place that sprouts flowers during winter. I'm guessing they haven't told you the legend."

She nods again.

"A thousand years ago, this land headed to war. There was a maiden who was torn because of the war and tried to prevent it, but no one listened. Eventually the goddess grew mad at their greed and punished the people with heavy loses. She stripped the land of its harvest and plummeted the people into famine and threw a blanket of sorrow over it, thus the snow. Both sides grew too weak to fight and perished. There was no winner.

After that, it is said that the maiden was overcome with grief and offered herself to appease the goddess. The goddess took her and the land was once more able to produce fruit, however, the snow will forever linger as a reminder of their foolishness. It is said that the lake is where the maiden resides and the flowers represent her feelings. It symbolizes sorrow and love and the never ending cycle of life and death. By offering her flowers, we show that we understand our mistakes and promise to love and live peacefully so that no other life is lost in vain."

"It's a beautiful tale," Ulrika murmurs. She doesn't get why, but oddly enough it wrenches at her heart. She was never one for sap stories, but then again she has avoided them on more than one occasion.

Roze notices her distress is gone and in place was pure intrigue and so he continues and nods in agreement.

"That brings us to the Winter Bloom," he says and immediately she is sucked in.

"Right, you still haven't told me yet."

"I'm getting there," he scoffs.

"Well?"

"Hmm..." Roze hums. "Let's see...how should I say this?" He taps his chin gingerly thinking about the best way to word it.

He turns towards Ulrika to see a blend of curiosity and eagerness apparent in her eyes. Without realizing, Ulrika had slowly marched into his proximity, due to her excitement, leaving only centimeters apart. She doesn't seem to realize just how close they are until Roze abruptly leans down and brushes the tip of his nose against hers. He stares at her with twinkling amusement and she blushes from contact. Ulrika feels the hotness of his breath tingle against her skin, but she is too scared to pull away, thinking she might offend him.

He moves across to her ears and lightly whispers,

"You'll have to stay and find out."

A second later, he's out of her face and half way across the room. Ulrika on the other hand is left rooted to her spot, gushing with embarrassment. Well, now she knows she's welcome to stay...

'So much for getting rid of the tension' she thinks and she knows that against her will, good dreams will visit her tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>End of Chapter 2<strong>

**A/N: I forgot to mention that I changed Roze's appearance a bit. In my story, they are older so I had him grow out his hair. Can't help it, I have a thing for guys with silky long hair that can send my stomach aflutter.**

**Oh yes, and reviews are very much appreciated.**


	3. Into the Twinklelight Hour

**A/N: Longest chapter so far. Will post next chapter soon. Also, I may come back to edit. And Happy New Year!**

**Also, I keep switching nicknames back and forth between english and japanese. If anyone is confused, I'll try to keep it one sided. Just in case someone doesn't understand any of it and I'm also sorry if it is inaccurate.**

* * *

><p>Ulrika's eyes flutter open allowing dim blue hues through her gradient green eyes. She feels slightly lightheaded as if she had just woken up from a dream which is what most likely happened.<p>

She swears inwardly to herself that she really did but as always, the only traces of evidence are the tingling sensations that prickle her skin and the safe landing of her gut after what feels like a whirlwind of somersaults. She cannot recall what happened in it or if she really had one or not, but if she did, it was definitely bitter sweet. Or so says the sinking feeling in her chest. A slight aching seemed to thump within her heart, but she tells herself she's just overreacting. Maybe a little anemia after a hard days work. Which reminds her. After her incident with Roze yesterday, she had not seen him until they turned in for the night and as always, he would disappear before dawn.

Glancing towards the window she realizes she has no way to tell what time it is. The sky is stale and barely lit with gray. The clouds tightened the horizon so thickly the sun became outcast.

As she lays in bed contemplating her day, she recalls her conversation with Roze. She blushes. She intended to get rid of the tension, but because he went and did 'that', she blushes again, it made things just as awkward if not more so than before. As she muddles her head on how to smooth things out, she remembers Enna mentioning that Roze would be heading to town.

Did he already leave? She frowns. It feels so weird to think so much and more importantly she was thinking about a guy, no less. What would she do if 'he' finds out?

A brief image of the shadowed man slips into her mind just as it did when she laid in the snow.

Huh? Her lips part and her head begins to spin. Who was that, she wonders. And it disappears from her mind as instantly as it came. She sighs.

A little while later, Ulrika forces herself to get up and get ready. It's still early she believes, so she might be able to help Enna make breakfast today.

Ulrika is not a morning person. Never was and never will be, but as of late, Ulrika feels compelled to help and do her part, which totally contradicts her lazy personality. She groans irritably as she heads out of the room at her sudden change but quickly brushes it off as she strides down the hall. Even with the windows shut, she could feel the cold yet light draft pass her.

As Ulrika takes in a fresh breath of the winter morning, she could not help but feel giddy and excited about the day. She had no plans or anything to look forward to, but a part of her just wants to enjoy the winter season.

As she approaches the kitchen, she spots Et and Enna along with Roze. Subtly surprised, she gasps out loud enough to catch their attention.

"Ah! Good morning, Ulrika-chan!" greets the energetic Et.

"Hey," greets the less than enthusiastic Enna.

"A-ah, good morning everyone," she stutters in shock at the sight of a present Roze. Then again, it is his house.

"Ah, good morning." Roze acknowledges, his back facing her as he shuffles through his pantry.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Ulrika asks, hoping for a reply.

"Un. There are some eggs in the storage located next to the counter." Enna points a finger without even glancing at her. "Bring them out and make two per person. Roze, I think the breads almost done."

"Okay," Roze replies.

"A-alright," says Ulrika.

'Oh goddess', she prays. 'Please don't let anything go wrong.'

At the table, they briefly chat while eating away. As they finish, Roze announces to the group including a heavily shocked, unattractively gaping Ulrika, the reasons for his unplanned return.

"If you don't return to duty, the Court will strip you of your title," Roze warns. "As a knight, you should be familiar with the consequences."

"Gyahhhh! B-but I-I -" Et wails. Her shrill cries echo through the room and bounce right back into their eardrums causing them to wince.

Roze crosses his arms and sighs. "Defend yourself in front of them, not me. I'm only here to give you the warning."

"Rozeeeeee," she pleas on a verge of tears, "Help me! If they do that then I'll get in trouble!"

"The damages were because you fought recklessly. It's amazing they didn't get rid of you the moment you joined the academy."

As Et continues to whimper, she dramatically wails again.

"I can't leave Ulrika-chan by herself! Na, Roze can I bring her along? She hasn't gotten out much and we need to help her and she needs clothes and-"

"I get it. No." He deadpans. "Without your privileges as a knight, even your family -" but she cuts him off.

"Please? Roze, please, please, please-"

"No."

"Why not?" she wails again.

He sighs.

"Enna..." he calls.

"Hm? No." Fast response. No hesitation. Not even a shred of consideration could get through before Enna made his decision.

Roze sighs again this times with his brows knit tightly.

"Y-you two are evil! How can you do this to Ulrika-chan? Enna, please play with-  
>"No."<p>

Et sighs.

Silence.

Et sighs again.

Silence.

And then Et sighs again.

"Quit it," orders Roze, "If you have any more complaints just say it."

"It's just...Ulrika-chan...won't you be lonely without me?"

"...Kni...ght..." the blonde mumbles.

"Ulrika-chan?" calls the pinkette.

"H-huh?" Ulrika gapes slightly surprised as the question only just registered in her head.

"Won't you?" asks Et again with teary eyes.

"O-of course I will..." she reassures although caught unprepared for the waterworks.

"But we'll be separated. Don't you want to come, too?"

Ulrika smiles slightly at her offer, but did not get her hopes up. She understood perfectly well why the two males were reluctant to let her out. She isn't from this town and no one knows anything about her. Heck, even she only had vague recollections when she recalls some parts of her life. She sighs. It was only natural to feel wary.

"That's very nice and all, but I'm fine here." She replies trying to hide her disappointment. "Besides, I still have to...clean up. I-I missed a few places yesterday."

To Ulrika, one of the strangest feelings weld up inside her. Whenever she wanted something, she would put up a fight before ever giving up, but this is not her place. Despite the downsides of being left behind, she realizes they are looking out for her. Their home is her danger zone. She knows nothing of their town nor their people. It is their intention to protect her so she bites back her tongue to keep her wants dangling in her throat.

"Okay then," says Et offering the blonde a sincere smile. Her reply is innocent and devoid of any sadness unlike her prior cries. Ulrika almost believes that the pinkette may not have been serious in the first place. Until...

"I'm staying here too."

Enna chokes on his drink while Roze drops his fork staring wide eyed at Et. Ulrika on the other hand blanches.

"Baka-onee-chan, what are you saying? Didn't you here what Nii-chan just said?"

Enna doesn't call Et by her name, he doesn't do it on purpose. He just can't shake off the nicknames like Et can't clear her stupidity. It amazes him how his sister can so easily let the words roll out of her mouth.

"The powers of idiots," he mumbles quietly under his breath.

Roze on the other hand recovers and just stares at her.

"It's your decision, but I already warned you and I'm not going to do it again."

"Et, you have to go or else," says Ulrika with urgency although her answer made her secretly happy. "Is it really okay if you don't? You could lose your job."

They look back at each other temporarily exchanging worried glances, but in the end, Et only smiles.

"I know. I know that I might get in trouble...but," Et looks at her with a familiar gleam.

"...I want to be with you, Ulrika-chan..." With clear magenta eyes she softly hums, "...you're more important to me than work. I choose you."

Roze and Enna look at her completely dumbfounded. Ulrika on the other hand feels her stomach flutter and blushes.

Just like that, the foursome found themselves treading across the white flat path.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Upon entering the vicinities of Terin Kingdom, Ulrika halts and gasps astounded by the snowy city. It looks to her as if she marched right into a fairy tale world. For a town, it ranges remarkably wide. It contains tiny and tall structures, wide and skinny. The building designs are complex and abstract yet incredibly fancy. The windows are glass, crystal clear and perhaps even diamond strong. Even the pavement brood with patterns that intricately curve yet sprang into an emblem. Ulrika doesn't say anything. She remembers thinking the woods are pretty, but being here right now, she just found beautiful.

She looks up to see the tallest of the buildings and realizes it is a clock tower blessed in the purest whites like the rest of the town.

The chiming of a bell resounds the parameters and echoes throughout the frozen land and shakes her heart. The whiteness of the buildings placates her with dreamy vibes as the tiniest rays make their way across the sky and immerses the city in light. The refraction of light caused by the buildings bounce off into the sky and to her amazement, showers them with sparkling flecks.

"It's noon," says Enna. "You just saw something good."

"Yep!" hollers Et. "This happens randomly only once a year. We call it the 'Twinklelight hour."

"What is that?" Ulrika asks, almost breathlessly.

"It's when the sun's rays bounce off the city and reflect off the air particles. While twilight is considered the darkest hour, 'Twinklelight' is the brightest. There's a legend behind that too."

Roze steps forward a few steps ahead of Ulrika and points to the clock tower.

"They say that the town is guarded by a powerful beast mana. After the war, the goddess sent it to watch over the town."

"You told Ulrika about the legends?" Roze turns his head to face Enna who clearly had shock written on his face. Roze nods.

"Wait!" shouts Ulrika causing them to turn to her. "That can't be it. There's gotta be more to it right?"

"There is."

"And?"

He doesn't reply.

"You're really curious, aren't you."

"W-well, yeah...I'm no good with history, but legends are another thing."

"There's an interlining connection between the two you know."

"I-I do know!" Ulrika huffs. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she turns away. "But lessons are boring so I'm not good at remember details."

"Legends can also teach lessons."

"Are you lecturing me?" Her face scrunches up into something near a pout, except, instead of a sullen look, she glares at him steadily fuming.

"Not at all." He replies without hesitation. "I'm merely teaching you a lesson."

A soft growl emits from her throat. After about five minutes filled with excitement, Roze had nearly trampled over it with his words of wisdom.

He catches her eyes as she continues to glare at him, while Enna and Et just watch, fidgeting.

"Still want to know?" he asks.

'Jerk' she thinks. Ulrika almost openly bashes him, but remembers that at the moment, she is still under his care. Was it really worth it? Her pride says otherwise.

Roze waits for a reply, but receives none.

"It doesn't matter, I guess." He waves her off and she gasps.

No, no. She is still VERY much interested, but could she really say it?

Ulrika's glare fumbles and she opens her mouth as if trying to speak but no words are heard. From an outsiders point of view, her shifting of expressions were quite amusing.

"I-I...still...I …" she gulps while trying to muster the words together.

"It doesn't matter," he repeats, causing her to lose face. "You'll find out anyways. You're staying aren't you?"

Roze stares at her intently and she swears she caught a teasing glimmer in his eyes hidden under his stoic face.

Tints of pink flare against her cheeks as she realizes his reference towards yesterday's conversation. Ulrika grits her teeth, unable to reply.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Ulrika jumps. Her heart pounds ecstatically as her head swivels right and left and back at Roze. She notices he too has a look of confusion.

"That's enough already!" cries Et pushing in between the two. "Legends, lessons, same thing! Let's get going already! We have less than an hour left!"

"An hour? For wh-?"

Before Ulrika could even finish her sentence, an impeccable red blur sweeps her away.

"Hyaaa!" she screeches. Et had hooked her arms around Ulrika and is currently dragging her new friend away.

The remaining boys only stare at their wavering outline before completely disappearing from sight.

"There's no point in chasing them, but Et and I have a meeting to attend in an hour and a half."

Enna nods. "What about Ulrika?"

"You'll have to stay with her."

Enna nods again and gives Roze another glance.

"What?" asks Roze with slight surprise.

"Um...well, I just didn't think you two would get so close..."

"Who is 'you two'?"

"You obviously...and Ulrika," stresses Enna while scratching the side of his head. Roze eyes the younger boy silently before replying.

"We aren't close."

"I'm not saying you are, just that...you're closer."

"What part?" Enna doesn't answer.

Roze looks at him puzzled. Enna has always been like a little brother to him and although they have their own share of secrets, the boy never spoke so awkwardly about a girl before. According to Roze's judgment, it seems as if Enna were holding back much more than he allowed.

"The problem?"

"..."

"..."

Silence continues to meet silence, until Enna could no longer handle it.

"Forget it," he mutters and begins to trudge away leaving Roze on the outskirts.

Roze watches as the younger boy makes his way to town and soon follows after awhile wondering what could possibly make the boy glow so furiously red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Ulrika whizzes pass the street, her long hair whips angrily behind as she feels her limbs flying about almost as if she were not even touching the ground. She swears she lost feeling in them. Et's cuffed hands on her wrist shoot volts of pain down her arm, but even as she hollers, Et is unable to pick up her screams of agony.

"We have to find her!" cries out Et ecstatically. "Hmm, which way do you think we should go Ulrika-chan?"

As Et turns around, Ulrika's limp body crawls sluggishly to her feet. Her pale face and slurring of speech ran shivers down Et's spine.

"U-uh, Waahh!" screams Et as she pulls away. "Zombie!"

Without leverage, Ulrika falls forward and moans in exhaustion. The frightened Et proceeds to, under the title of 'Terin's Knight', vanquish any existence that opposes a threat to her town.

"Stupid Sis!" comes a cry from the distance.

"Ah! Enna! There you are!" Et hollers back. "Zombies are really attacking!"

"What the hell are you saying? There aren't any- wuaahah! W-what the hell happened to you?" Questions Enna to the deadbeat Ulrika before glancing at his gleeful sister. "Nevermind, I shouldn't have asked."

Enna proceeds to rub his temples in annoyance as he pieces together the undoubtful truth and sighs.

"That's Ulrika," he manages to say although wanting to swallow the words of the obvious. But it is his sister he is dealing with. What other choice did he have?

"Ulrika?" Et ponders and rubs her chin. "Oh, it really is! What happened to you?"

Enna and Ulrika grow pale. Deep down inside, they just knew she would ask.

"Forget it..." mutters the exhausted Ulrika, "I just need to...catch my breath."

"Hmmm...okay." Completely dismissing the blonde, the pinkette turns right and left eying the streets like a hawk. "Oh yeah, where's Roze?"

"He went ahead to the quarters to report back to the general. He said to meet up with him when I find you guys. Come on, he's waiting."

"B-but, we only have half an hour left!" Whines Et. Ulrika looks confused. Now that she mentions it, she kept talking about finding someone in an hour. Did it have to do with the legend? Her heartbeat starts to increase as exhilaration pumps through her vein. Now she is very, very curious.

"Too bad, we have to go, NOW!"

Et pouts, but reluctantly follows Enna. Ulrika also catches herself pouting and tries to cover it up, but her disappointment once again prevails.

XXXXXXXXX

"Ah, I see Roze." From a distance, Enna points over to what looks like a blue figure with his back in view. Getting closer, he seems taken up by a conversation with a golden blonde women.

"He's talking to Lily, leave them alone for a bit." Ulrika glances over to them and sees them conversing seriously, well, at least Roze is. The female however, looks pleasantly at him, but then falters and now seems to be angry. She wonders what they could be talking about and if the woman is another knight, but the difference in attire gave away the answer.

The woman is a noble, concludes Ulrika. She wears a high collar, burgundy dress with puffy, black sleeves. The hem also flared out and hung above her knees. The mixture of white, black, burgundy and gold stitched together to spell out the colors of noble birth. The top portion of her thick hair is clipped with a black bow with a gem in the middle. In it engraved a seal likely to be her family's crest.

Having not noticed to the newcomers, they continue their discussion. After eying her attire, Ulrika glances down at her own. She remembers having to throw out her old ones for Enna's after they found her. Hers weren't meant for winter. While being on that topic, she also remembers she hasn't bathed since the other day and sulks.

"I have to change into my uniform, I'll be back in a bit." Et waves to her and quickly runs off into a nearby building. The only ones left were her and Enna. After glancing around a bit, Ulrika sees a familiar building near the one Et ran into. Beside it stands the clock tower she saw from the outskirts, currently behind where Roze and this 'Lily' stood. At the very tip of the roof stands a lifelike white beast with wings sprawling from its sides. Above its head hovers an emerald green orb that seem to glow as bits of the suns ray pierce its core. As she peers up at the building she notices the still twinkling sky. Fifteen more minutes before the next hour. She stands there silently for another five minutes alone with Enna gazing at the mystical creature with a pounding against her chest before turning her attention to the light haired boy.

"Um, Enna...thanks." She says shyly. He gives her a quizzical glance.

"Thanks for lending me your clothes." Her cheeks burn up, not being use to showing her gratitude.

After a moment, he mumbles something quietly to her.

"I couldn't hear that just now. What did you say?" She motions for him to repeat himself and once again he mumbles quietly and she can't catch it.

"Enna, come on. Speak up," she says slightly irritated.

"I said...th...not...mi..." he continues to mumble.

"Enna!" she gruffs.

"I said they're not mine!" he shouts turning completely red. Confusion is written all over her face.

"...Then whose?" she asks, curiously.

"Roze's," he replies turning away.

"Oh...then I guess...I'll thank him later?" she says awkwardly. "I should wait until he's done ta-"

"I'm back!" shouts Et enthusiastically.

"Huh? That was quick." Ulrika sweatdrops. Et came back clad in black. The knights wear black coats with blue or red trimming. Et's uniform flaunts deep red strips on the sides, but differs from Roze's. His strips were cold blue and flutters as a long coat. Et's coat barely trails to her knees.

"What do you think of my uniform, Ulrika-chan?"

"It really suits you," the blonde responds while nodding.

"Really? Do you want to try it on? I think you'll look super cool in it."

Ulrika chuckles. "Nope. I won't fit it."

"Oh that's right." The pink haired girl sighs. "You fit Enna's clothes."

The younger blue haired boy blushes.

"She fits my OLD clothes, you dimwit." Having hurt his manly pride once again, Enna could only defend against her blunt remarks or perhaps drag her down with him. Oh what beautifyl sibling love.

"If you didn't destroy your old ones, you could've lent yours to her instead."

"I-I can't help it!" Et gasps. "As a knight, even clothes can't get in the way of justice!"

'Oh, so that's what happened,' thinks Ulrika.

"Besides, she's wearing Roze's right now, right?" Et points at Ulrika's chest. "You're so mean Enna. Even Roze was nice enough to give her his old clothes and even help her change while you always-"

Enna suddenly clamps her mouth with his hand and hisses, but he was already too late.

"What?" Ulrika stares at them dumbfounded.

"I said he changed your-"

"Oi!" shouts Enna trying to silence the oblivious girl. Big mistake.

"H-he...b-but Et was...when..."

"Enna, are you trying to hug me? You're doing it wrong!" Et then deflects Enna's arms and uses her own to wrap him into a bone crushing embrace. "See? That's how you do it. Oh yeah, as I was saying. Roze found you and brought you back. He changed your clothes for you, too. He can be so nice sometimes, right?" Et grins at Ulrika's lowered head. Underneath her covered face, glowing red emits from her skin.

"U-Ulrika?" coughs Enna after being released from Et's hug. He could clearly see her shaken form as she wraps her arms around herself.

"I..I c-can't believe...he..." she stutters.

"Are you alright, Ulrika-chan?" Asks a now concerned Et.

"He...He..." She hiccups. Feeling guilty, Enna tries to comfort her or at least attempt to straighten things out.

"Hey, just listen to what we have to-"

"That bastard!" She erupts causing the two to jump in surprise. "I'll make him pay!"

"O-oi, Ulrika, hold on for-" Shouts Enna as he reaches for her wrist. Again, too late. The blonde already sprinted off the split second he stretched out his arm. He gulps.

"Damn, we need to stop her."

As Roze stood before his childhood friend, he couldn't help but feel a foreboding sensation crawl inside his skin.

"Roze, what is the matter?" asks Lilianne, Lily for short. The blonde presents him a worried glance but reassures her that it's nothing. Seconds later, Roze is greeted with painful stings surging against the back of his head and coursing through his neck. A freezing shock runs down his spine as he turns around annoyed to find a fuming blonde.

"You!" the blonde girl booms. "You're the worst!"

The girl marches forward glaring intensely at him while completely disregarding the startled strangers on the sideline.

He stares back at the girl confused and alert. The blonde beside him also shares his thoughts, but also gives him a brash look of fury.

"Roze, who is that?" He doesn't reply to her.

"I can't believe you! How could you?" Ulrika shrieks.

"How could I what?" He questions back at her.

"Y-you," she stutters. "That night! I can't believe you did that to me!"

Lily, being the outsider in this conversation, feels alarmed and threatened by this new appearance.

"W-what is going on here? That night? Roze!" She demands looking furiously at him, but his attention is on the blonde before them. He looks at her still confused.

"I have no clue what you're saying," he responds.

"You jerk! Don't pretend to be innocent. Because of you I'm no longer pure!"

Lily's mouth fumbles over her lost words as she begins to take in Ulrika's words and her mind runs wild with crazy imagery.

"R-Roze...you and..."

His eyes widened and his jaw slacks. "What the hell are you saying?" he shouts back. "I haven't done anything to you since I fo-" Realization hit Roze like a ton of bricks. She found out about that time.

"Look, I didn't mean to."

"Bullshit," Ulrika screams. Cold sweat starts forming on his forehead.

"H-how could you!" screams the noble lady.

"Wait, you're misunderstanding, Lily."

"Don't ignore me you jerk!" Screeches Ulrika as she runs up to him.

"Hold on, let me explain!" Holding up his arms, Roze tries to calm the raging blondes.

"I thought you were a man."

"WHAT?" They both shriek.

"No, I mean-"

"What part of me looks like a guy?"

"A-a girl? It's a girl? So Roze's- No, he's into men?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ulrika shoots a glare at the noble blonde.

Roze grits his teeth irritably.

"I'm saying you're misunderstanding this."

"Shut up!" The angry Ulrika had yet to vent out her frustrations. The sight of her seething could give the devil a run for his money.

"Do you have any idea what this means? Because of you, I can no longer get married!"

"You can't be serious," he looks at her with disbelief. "Married? Just what time period did you come from?

"What's wrong with you? I am serious!" she defends. "Only after marriage can the wife present herself."

"Look," he sighs, "I can't undo what has already happened. What do you want me to do?"

"I-I don't know," she huffs. He glares at her annoyed. After making such a big fuss, she doesn't know.

"You aren't serious."

"I am!" She retorts, "J-just take responsibility! Or...or something," she half murmurs the last part.

"No! I-I won't allow it!" Roars the golden blonde noble gaining Roze and Ulrika's attention.

"Whatever he did, you're overreacting!"

"Who are you? Don't decide for him. This is between me and him!" She angrily sticks out a finger at his chest.

"How dare you talk that way to me, y-you country bumpkin!"

"Country bumpkin? Fine, miss fancypants. Stay out of this!"

"Don't call me that and why should I? I won't give Roze to you!"

"What right do you have over him? He's responsible for his actions and the actions he committed to me. I'm making him own up to them!"

"Roze doesn't have to listen to you. You can't make him marry you!

"I didn't say we had to get married! I just want him to do something about it!"

"Still! There's no way he would want to marry you! Right Roze?" Lily turns to Roze only to find him missing. Ulrika also glances over and wonders when he disappeared. Searching around, the blondes spot him half way across the snow heading towards the bystanders Et and Enna who in the end, decided to forsake them and let them solve their own problems.

"W-wait!" cries out Lily, "Roze, you aren't allowed to leave me!"

The angry noble rushes after the blue haired knight leaving Ulrika standing. She grits her teeth preventing herself from screaming in frustration as tears unknowingly sting her eyes, but she holds them back too.

"That...that bastard..." she grumbles as she watches him leave her behind like discarded trash. Maybe she is just overreacting, but still, it really hurts to be left behind and watching him walk away brought back an all too familiar feeling.

The moment is burned into her mind. With his back facing her, his black silhouette, a distant shadow nearly vanishing into the blurring landscape. His unclear presence is the last thing she remembers, but even now he has a lingering presence.

"You...You jerk!" Ulrika clenches her moistened eyes as well as her fists painfully shut and bellows. "You can't just leave me like this!"

As her voice resounds in the air, the sky suddenly lights up brighter than before. Ulrika untimely opens her eyes as the light flashes green and engulfs the city. As the green flash fades away, the twinkling lights in the sky vibrate green hues. A single pillar of light strikes Ulrika where she stands. Squinting, she locates the pillar's source stemming from the green orb above the stone guardian.

The orb glows brighter and brighter, but almost instantly, the pillar disperses into a cluster of sparkles falling like rain around her. She gazes upward with hands extended and breathless in awe.

Slowly, Ulrika recovers from witnessing the bizarre yet extraordinary phenomenon and glances around confused as a number of stares are focused on her.

"What...what just ha..." she whispers with disbelief, while the remaining words stay lodged in her throat.

"Ladies and gentleman," intervenes a voice edging closer to Ulrika. She nearly jumps a few feet up when a swirling cape produced out of thin air floats beside her. A man emerges with long striking red hair and a scar on his face. She doesn't know whether to be alarmed or awed by his sudden appearance, but either way he left her agasp.

"The Twinklelight hour has come to an end. The guardian has chosen. May the goddess bless us and welcome us unto another prosperous year. Please applaud for this year's chosen maiden."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If there are any misunderstandings or confusions, please let me know. I frequently, say this too, but since this is fanfiction, expect the characters to be somewhat if not alot, ooc (out of character). I realized that I made Roze seem a bit flirty...when he's really not, lol. Ulrika also seems to apologize and thank people more, but that is because she is older and more mature. She's nicer and so is Roze, but they still retain a lot of their original aspects.**

**Also, words to know:**

**Baka-onee-chan = Stupid Sis. Used by Enna to Et.**

**Nii-chan = Older Brother, or Bro. Also used between younger boys to older guys of non-blood relations, hence Enna to Roze.**

**In the japanese dub, Enna also calls Ulrika 'nee-chan' but since they are strangers and no longer kids, he addresses her by her name. Same rule applies for non-blood relations.**

**Honorifics**

**-chan = indicates affection or closeness.**

**-san = equivalent to Mr. or Mrs. Formal way of addressing. **

**-sama = used to address those of higher status or in admiration. Lily is addressed as 'oujo-sama' which is basically 'Lady' or 'Miss.' Commonly heard within noble families.**

**Once again, I'm sorry if I'm inaccurate. I haven't studied japanese in a while and I haven't gotten very far either. **


	4. Simple, Strange, and Special

**A/N: This chapter is unexpectedly longer than I anticipated. But I guess you can think of it as a bonus for my delay. Oh yeah, for those who don't like the name Roze, just replace or imagine that it says Raze because I won't change it.**

**Update: I realized that I changed the tenses in this chapter! Sorry! Anyways, I redid it so the flow of the story won't be so sloppy.**

**Also! I will post up picture of my version of the characters starting next chapter! Don't know if I will color it, but it will give you an idea of what they look like in here and what they wear.**

* * *

><p>"I refuse."<p>

"Oh, come on, it won't be-"

"No."

"But if you-"

"Don't want to."

"But tradition says-"

"I don't care."

"Can't you at least-"

"No means no."

Sigh.

Enna rubbs his temples in aggravation. Why of all people did it have to be her?

Ulrika crosses her legs in her seat on the crème colored couch grumbling incoherent words under her breath. The lounge emits a stifling air, uneasy and somewhat glum.

For the past half an hour she continually refused to take part in the Winter Bloom. According to traditions, the chosen girl of twinklelight would be the martyr of Raidaru. The saint who, in order to restore order amongst the chaotic war, self sacrificed herself to the Goddess to attain peace.

Ulrika knows very little of the lands history and although it sparks her interest, she wants no part in reenacting the martyr's final moments. The thought of playing a destined to die hero did not settle very well with her. Or more so the thought of death was the most unsettling.

Enna had been left behind to watch over Ulrika while Et reported, reluctantly, to her post. Roze on the other hand had been dragged away by the Valendorf heiress, who apparently had a task that only he could complete and would not take no for an answer. Enna being the only man free, was tasked to 'babysit' the amnesiac blonde.

Enna sighs again. It is always he who had to take on the annoying jobs. And by 'annoying', he means being assigned to take care of a girl who was considered an adult but ridiculously resembles a child in both looks and actions. To make matters worse, he knew very little about his assignment (Ulrika), yet is expected to put in more effort and priority on it than necessary.

Oh right, not only did he have to watch over her, he is responsible for taking her around and providing all the expected necessities she needs. Instinctively, Enna foreshadows that the day would only get worse.

"Oi, Enna~" Ulrika's voice drawls.

"What?" he unintentionally spats which earned him a 'hmph'.

"I've been calling you for the past minute. What's wrong?"

"A lot of things," he grumbles leaving out the major details, or more specifically '_you_'.

"Anyways, can we get out of here? This place makes me feel uncomfortable. Everyone keeps staring."

Sure enough, eyes from all directions peered curiously at the not so excited blonde watching her every move.

"Nope. Not possible." He replies flatly.

"Eh? Why not?" she questions.

"Since you were chosen as the maiden, everyone expects you to comply. If we even try to leave as things are, we'll definitely get hunted down."

"What? Hunted- what sane person would-"

"The most ridiculous, crazy, insanely strong, self-indulgent commander of the knights."

Ulrika is stunned. She couldn't imagine someone like that could exist.

"That has got to be a joke. How could someone like that be the Knight Commander?"

"I wish it really were a joke. How he came to be the commander? He's one ridiculous, crazy, insanely strong, self-indulgent, nutjob."

"..." Ulrika did not speak.

"You'll understand when you get to know him. Self-explanatory."

"Don't think I want to."

"You don't have a choice."

Both Ulrika and Enna give startled crois as a voice vibrates closely to her right as a man mysteriously appears out under a whirling cape. Vibrant red hair half sleeks back while the other half drapes one side of his face while the rest of his long hair flares behind his back. A scar slit across the trail of his nose amplifying his intimidating nature. The man is tall and wore a mahogany cape loosely around his shoulders. Underneath is his personalized knight attire, colored black and white.

Ulrika makes a mental note of it. He is the only knight she saw who adorns those colors.

A few seconds later, she realizes that the man is the same man who announced her appointment. He mysteriously vanished at some point after the announcement and magically pops out again. It astounds her how he can perform such acts.

"Hm. So the chosen refuses to accept her duty," says the man. "You've got spunk, I like that. However, one who forsakes their path will only tread to abomination. I've come to ensure that you walk the right path."

_What a weirdo_, she thinks to herself.

"Hey, Enna. Who is this guy?" she half whispers to the bluenette.

"Commander of the Knights, Flay Gunnar."

Her eyes widen.

"Now tell me," orders the commander, "why are you refusing to participate in the festival?"

Already feeling uncomfortable, Ulrika fidgeted even more after hearing his demanding voice. It sounded somewhat lighthearted yet domineering at the same time. She wasn't sure how to reply.

"I don't want to?" is all she could think of.

"Hahaha," the man bellows. "Simple, simple."

Crossing his arms, the man shakes his head. "Nope, not good enough. Again."

"Again?" asks the confused girl.

"Don't question me. If I tell you to do something you do it. Address me as 'sir'!"

"O-okay, I mean- y-yes, sir," comes out Ulrika's automated reply. Her back completely straightened out. In the corner of her eyes, she sees movement from Enna, him tensing up at the commander's order. In an instant the red haired man had seized control by installing fear.

"Now speak!" His voice booms.

"Sir!"she cries out in panic. "I refuse to die, sir!" Just what the hell is she saying? Oh goddess she sounds so wimpy.

"You have the heart of a warrior. A man who doesn't fear death is no man at all. You'd make a good soldier with your resolve."

"I will decline, Knight Commander, sir!"

_I'm not a man..._she thinks inwardly. _That's the second time today!_

The memory of her encounter with the noble tastes bitter on her tongue. But Commander Gunner already knows she is a girl...

"Then you will take responsibility as this years maiden and carry out your duty like a true soldier."

Ulrika sweatdrops. "Sir, with all due respect. I'm not a soldier nor am I a resident...I think...sir."

"Then you admit you are a terrorist?"

"What? No!" Ulrika exclaims exasperated. "I mean I don't know!"

By now, every one who has been listening in blanches with confusion. The rumor that the maiden could possibly be a terrorist starts stirring up a bit of panic.

"I...I don't know where I'm from..." she half whispers, unsure how to dissolve the growing tension.

Damn this is getting old. Ulrika feels extremely exhausted at this point. The man in front of her still looks upon her curiously and she instinctively knew that if she ever took this man lightly, her life would forever run amok in hell. The man is incomprehensible. Who knows what would happen if she stays around him any longer.

"Look, I mean sir...I don't want to be the maiden and since I'm...not really from here, people won't like me playing that part so I think it's best that I step down and let someone else handle it."

"Hmph. I don't care who the maiden is," responds Flay, confusing Ulrika.

"I...I have no obligation to participate," she mutters, "besides, forcing an unwilling person to do something they don't want to do is prohibited, isn't it?"

The man only stares. If glares could burn, she'd be full of holes from head to toe. Maybe nothing would be left of her. She gulps. Truth be told, she feels even more intimidated than before. Up until now, it was hard to take the man seriously, but the sudden change in his aura is frightening.

"I was wrong about you." Huh? Ulrika looks at him curiously.

What is he saying this time?

But the man is no longer laughing.

"I thought that it would be interesting this year having a mysterious maiden show up out of nowhere, but there's nothing special about you."

Ulrika didn't know what to say. So what if she isn't anything special. He didn't have to insult her.

"So what if I'm not special?" she retorts in agitation. "Don't lay your expectations on me if all you're going to expect is disappointment. I don't have to do this."

"So you're just going to let down everyone who is eagerly preparing for the festival simply because you don't have the guts to take the stage?"

Ulrika bit down on her bottom lip. "Why are you involving others? Aren't we talking about me? If you have something to say to me then say it, but don't drag other people in."

"You're a fool," his voice thunders. "You may be the main attention, but by no means is the festival about you. As I said before, you are nothing special."

Flay's glare turns icy cold sending chills down her spine. Without turning away he continues on.

"Obligated or not, as long as you are the chosen one, you have a responsibility to fulfill. No one wants to be forced into anything, but there are times when one must step up and take action. Someone who runs away from their duty and pushes it onto others is nothing but a coward."

Like a brick to her face, Ulrika is struck hard by his ridicule. Who is he to say that she is a coward? She fumes.

He doesn't know anything about her, so what nerve did he have to say such things? But in the end, once again, what did she know? It always came down the same conclusion. She knows almost nothing.

Besides a few facts, she knows almost nothing about herself nor did she know much about this place. It wasn't as if she is obligated to this place nor is she a peer amongst the people. They have no right to decide anything for her! Fate, duty, or whatever can kiss her ass because the one who will decide is herself.

And she chose not to participate.

She didn't want to be a part of it.

She isn't a part of it.

...Right?

Because she isn't one of them, right?

So why was she chosen?

What the hell was with this crap about being chosen anyway? Why did he expect her to participate even though she wasn't a citizen?

No...why didn't she want to participate?

She is interested, wasn't she?

Did she refuse to participate simply just because? Or is there something more? Earlier, didn't she say it was because she didn't want to die? Is it the thought of death that scared her? Is she scared of death? An even simpler question arises. Is she scared at all? So why?

As her thoughts muddle with her emotions, she loses grasp of her anger and stares away awestruck at her unearthing.

Where did she belong? Why is she here? Why is she so reluctant to participate? Why her?

Driven to the point of confusion, in the end Ulrika could not retaliate.

The man grunts causing her to flinch.

"I've had enough of this for today, you're free to do as you wish," Flay speaks. "I'll come back some other time to hear what you have to say, but I'm not in the mood right now."

The swish of his cape alerts her of his departure. She stares at his distancing figure as he walks further and further away. He didn't mysteriously vanish this time, she notes.

_For some reason_, she thinks, _he looked disappointed._

* * *

><p>"We're here."<p>

Enna walks a few steps before Ulrika as she lags behind. The entire walk has been silent.

Enna knocks on the door as he waits for the shop owner to open, meanwhile Ulrika continually gazes at the fallen snow before her feet.

"Hey, Ulrika," Enna calls. She doesn't reply. He notices her dazed state since earlier after meeting Flay Gunner.

He grumbles under his breath.

"Ulrika," he tries again. Still she did not answer.

_Damn._

With another sigh, he attempts once more.

"Dude, wake up."

As if on cue...

"Who are you calling a guy?" she screams.

_About time._

"We're here," he answers with a bored tone.

Ulrika looks up curiously, straying away from her previous dilemma.

"Where are we?" she asks.

"At the fabric store. I'm suppose to help you get some clothes right? Plus we need to tailor your- nevermind," He ends abruptly.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Can you say it again?"

"Clothes."

"...Is that all?" she inquires the blue haired boy. He nods.

They wait awhile longer before knocking again. Maybe the owner didn't hear them?

After five more minutes of no answer, Enna reluctantly gives up. It is mid afternoon and they still had more time until the sun went down. Enna wonders what he should do to keep the blonde busy. As he ponders, a shout from the distance catches his attention.

"Enna! Ulrika-chan!"

It is Et!

The pink haired girl comes flouncing over at the pair ahead, dangerously fast above the trail of snow. Worry covers their face as the incoming girl darts straight at them.

How should they avoid her? What should they do? Do they duck? Do they split?

Before they could decide, the pinkette suddenly slipps and rams into the unprepared pair.

Mangled in a pile, the trio try to painfully pull apart while hammering each other with their elbows and knees. What a mess.

"Ow ow ow," whimpers Ulrika.

"Ah! That scared me!" cries the pinkette.

"Those should be my words, you idiot!" barks Enna.

"Eh...oops. I was on my way to tell you guys something, but when I saw you, I got too excited," she replies sheepishly.

Enna groans while Ulrika sighs.

"Well?" asks Ulrika. "What did you want to tell us?"

"Oh, right! The fabric store is closed today. Yun still isn't back from his mission. We got a message saying he'll be back by tomorrow so you will have to postpone shopping."

Enna releases another groan.

_Waste of time..._

"I've been assigned to watch Ulrika today. Anyway, since you're free, what do you want to do, Ulrika-chan?" asks Et.

"Huh? Hm, I don't know. I don't know what you can do here..." Her voice trails off. She is reminded of her talk with the Knight Commander and feels depressed again.

"Then, let's go to my place!" she exclaims. Before Ulrika could say anything, she found her arm linked with Et's as they bounced away down the icy trail, with Enna trailing behind a short distance away, most reasonably to establish a safe proximity.

After about half an hour of skipping and bouncing down the snowy road later, much to Et's insistence, they reach the gates of the Dysler Manor.

Ulrika's eyes nearly fall out of her sockets.

"You two live here?" she blabs.

"Yup, this is our home," says the hyper girl smiling from ear to ear.

"Hurry up," calls Enna who is already within the gates. "It's cold so lets go inside."

After entering the household, Ulrika could not help, but gape at the interior. Enna moves on ahead to notify the servants they were home and prepare lunch while Et gave Ulrika a short tour.

"You didn't tell me you guys were rich." She states.

"Hm? Oh, must have slipped my mind." Responds Et. "Our family is one of the five noble households of Terin Kingdom. Lily's one and the other three are...umm...ask Enna."

That is no surprise. Of course Et wouldn't remember the other names.

Ulrika ponders. "Why do you sleep at the cabin when you have an amazing mansion here?"

"Oh about that...umm...I ran away," answers Et with a sloppy grin.

"Huh? Really? Why?" gapes Ulrika. What ridiculous reason could she have to run away?

"Uhuh. Mom and dad were getting worried about me not having a boyfriend so they wanted to set me up with one of the noble houses. I refused and ran away."

"Are you a teenager?" gawks the astounded blonde.

"Nope, but I admit, it was childish of me."

Ulrika almost did not believe what she heard. First running away and suddenly admitting her fault. Is this really Et?

"The truth is, I don't want to marry anyone I'm set up with," continues the girl, "I have the right to choose my husband. You think so too, right Ulrika-chan?"

She gives her a soft smile and awaits Ulrika's reply.

There were moments when Ulrika thought Et was extremely cute and ladylike and this by far is the most feminine she'd ever witnessed the strong beauty to be. The girl practically radiates 'I'm so cute, you would never believe I could haul your ass out of my kingdom'. Her innocent vibe was so enveloping that Ulrika just wants to crawl over and snuggle the pinkette with a warm hug. Too bad her skin is ice cold, so she resorts to a simple reply.

"Yeah, I think so too," hums the blonde. She understood perfectly how the girl feels. Being with the person you love most is considered a woman's happiness.

"Hold on," Ulrika suddenly blurts. "Why did Enna come along?"

"Oh! Eheheh, I brought him with me. It would be too lonely by myself."

After their light chat, they reach the dining room to find Enna waiting for them at the far end of the table. A few platters of roasted beef, grilled fish, and soup are served. After seeing the food, time didn't matter to Ulrika at all as she pulls out a seat and sat herself down.

After the meal came another surprise.

"Et! Enna!" cries a womanly voice. A tall, large woman dashe across the hall and pounces on the Dysler siblings. "Oh, you're home!"

"Mom!" shouts Et. "Welcome home!"

The young girl returns her mother's embrace while the younger boy struggles under her tight squeeze.

"M-mom, get off me!" he gasps.

"Enna! My little Enna! I missed you so much. I thought I would never see you and your sister again," the woman wails. "When you left I was so devastated! Ohhhhhoohooh."

"We weren't gone that long-guk! And... we told you where we went," heaves Enna.

"I missed you too, mom!" cries Et.

"My children! Oh my lovely children!" the lady continues to blubber and smother her children.

Ulrika watches the familial display of affection. It is awkward, but she feels somewhat left out. She doesn't think she'd feel so lonely just standing there and watching their dramatics. It makes her feel like she is missing something.

"Mom!" Et burst, "We brought a friend over."

"Huh? Ohhh, I'm sorry." Mrs. Dysler finally turns around and faces Ulrika.

"I didn't notice you. How rude of me. Are you perhaps a friend of Enna's from school?"

Ulrika feels her vein twitch. She definitely thinks she is a boy.

"Uh, why don't we sit down first?" Gestured Enna uneasily. "Since we have a guest, we have to prepare tea and snacks right? Why don't you guys head to the lounge?"

"Oh, you're right, dear. Come this way, we can talk when we settle down a bit."

The lady of the house proceeds down the hall, leading the slightly irritated Ulrika to the next room with Et treading joyously on the side. Enna lets out a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping an explosive crisis and continues along to make another request from his servants.

A few snacks, tea and some pain killers would do him good. He will definitely need the pain killers for the rest of the evening.

* * *

><p>Hours pass by and evening has already settled in. After finishing his daily duties and fulfilling his hourly requirements, Roze finally arrive home.<p>

Besides the cabin, Roze has his own apartment thanks to the help of the Dysler family. Lily also offered to help him find an apartment, but the one's she chose were strangely all located near her mansion and surprisingly luxurious, but cheap. In the end, he chose a shabby looking one room apartment a few minutes away from HQ, that was also quite affordable. The apartment belonged to a close friend of the Dysler's and the connection helped him get it for cheap. But the thing Roze likes most about the apartment is that it isn't overly excessive in décor nor is it lacking proper furnishing. The place is quiet and friendly, and best of all he has his privacy. He gets along well enough with the neighbors, but he didn't force himself on them either. No one bothers him, just like he hoped.

Roze takes a relaxing bath and settles for a light dinner. He prepares it before the bath, but chooses to enjoy it after a good soak.

After changing into his night wear, Roze heats up his dinner and proceeds to catch a few shows on the television until a knock echoes across the silent room. Perplexed, Roze wonders who would drop by so late in the evening as he makes his way to the door. Upon opening it, he is blast by the chilly night wind that nearly froze his slightly damp hair. The breeze blew at his long tresses tossing them back, but the people before him blew away his mind.

"Why are you guys here?" he questions, hastily.

"Gomen, Roze!" says the apologetic, Et. "Can Ulrika stay at your place tonight?"

"What?"

Et sighs at the flabbergast Roze. "You see, when we came back to our place we didn't know that mom and dad were getting the rooms renovated."

Roze folds his arms, irate at their sudden request.

"Then let her share rooms with you."

"Impossible," grumbles a glum Enna.

Et continues. "Ah, our rooms are getting renovated too."

"You two are planning to stay here too?" Roze looks at them with wide eyes. Just how much trouble do they plan to unload on him? Did they think he could fit them all here?

Et, however shakes her head.

"Nope. My parents want us to sleep with them until the rooms are done. Since we've been gone for so long, they want to spend as much time with us as possible. It's only a few more days."

With a long pause, Roze analyzes their current situation and turns towards the younger boy.

"Enna, you're okay with this?"

"Hell, no!" the younger boy exclaims, aggravated. "B-but...I can't say no..."

He looks down, clearly wanting to avoid the thought, the reality, everything.

"Mom started crying because Enna wouldn't agree to it." Explains Et. "She kept on going on about how he didn't love her and that she didn't want to be hated by him and that she didn't want to lose her son and so on."

Taking in a deep breath, the girl continues. "Geez, Enna, be nice to mom. Think about her feelings."

"What about mine?" The boy counters. "Just whose fault do you think it is that things ended up this way?"

"Gomen, Enna!" apologizes the guilt ridden girl.

Enna snorts.

"Che. I'm definitely taking the floor."

The boy mumbles a few more words under his breath before turning back to his 'nii-chan'.

"Anyways, our parents offered to let Ulrika sleep with us, too..." he trailed off.

Awkward silence.

"...But if that happens, they'll expect me to marry her afterward and make her their official daughter."

"So you're pushing her on to me," states a less than enthusiastic Roze.

"I'm not baggage, you know," came a soft growl from the blonde with her head hung low.

Enna shrugged. "You're the only other person she knows. We're officially responsible for her now that she's been announced 'maiden of the year'."

Roze continued suggesting every idea he could think of to improve their current situation. "Did you try booking a hotel room?"

"All reserved. The festival's pretty close."

"What about asking the officials? Commander Gunnar might do something about it."

The slight tense in Ulrika's shoulders do not go unnoticed. She keeps her gaze fixed to the ground as she playfully tapps her heels together, ashamed. Her strange reaction puzzles the azure eyed boy.

"We're ...having difficulty establishing connections at the moment," reports Enna, knowing clearly well their current status. "Plus it's late so we can't contact anyone else. I'll try to find someone else tomorrow."

Roze lets out a brief sigh. "Alright. She can stay here, but I can't take care of her. I've got work."

"Thanks Roze!" pipes Et. Ulrika on the other hand looks even more depressed than usual. She moves away without notice and hunches over the ground while twirling her finger in circular motions and mouthing words that sound like 'pet'. He instantly pities her.

"Come inside," Roze orders. Moving away from the door, he motions for the others to enter.

Ulrika carries very little with her. A small bag she obtained from the Dysler's is all she has in her arms.

_At least she won't take up much space_, Roze thinks.

"Were you about to have dinner?" asks Et.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry I don't have much to offer, but if you guys want some, feel free to grab a plate."

"No, but thanks anyway. We already had dinner. Sorry for coming by so late."

"It's alright, just give me a call next time," says Roze as he walks over to his dining table.

"Actually, we tried to call earlier, but you didn't picked up."

"Hm...sorry," Roze ponders. "Guess I was busy."

"Ah, we have another favor to ask," states Et.

"What is it?"

"Ulrika needs to use your bath. We were in a rush to get over here so we didn't have time to let her use ours."

At the mention of 'bath', Roze is suddenly reminded of his first conscious encounter with the blonde. He furrows his brows as he slices through the slab of tough meat into pieces. The slight pink of medium rare steak resembles closely to his own tinted cheeks.

"Just...don't break anything..." he replies not looking up.

"Okay!" pipes the dense girl. "Ulrika, come on! I'll show you how to use the bath!"

Et pulls Ulrika away from a much relieved Enna. It looks like they somehow entered a pointless argument and weren't getting anywhere, but with Et's interference, they could finally drop it.

As the girls made their way to the bathroom, Enna takes a seat at the dining table next to Roze.

"What's that about?" inquires Roze.

"Ulrika doesn't really know how to use the equipment in town. She says that the stuff she had were similar to your cabins. She's a country girl, after all."

Enna's eyes trails to the bathroom door momentarily before returning his full attention to Roze.

"Oh right, nii-chan." Enna speaks. "I'm telling you this for your sake..."

Roze chews and swallows down his meal before reaching for his glass of water.

Enna pauses, hesitantly as Roze takes a gulp from his glass.

"Et told our parents you already slept with Ulrika."

"Ugk-!" The sight of Roze gagging on water is amusing in Enna's eye, but he could not help but pity the guy. Roze takes a moment to cough up his drink while Enna patiently waits to avoid another gag episode.

"They think you're a couple, but they aren't looking at you guys favorably at the moment since, uhh...you haven't taken responsibility...so...they expect you to show up with her next time."

"Not this again." The older male groans and closed his eyes in frustration.

_That girl really has no delicacy!_

"...So that's the real reason we can't let her stay over," explains Enna.

"She's creating more unnecessary trouble for me again," Roze growls angrily before shutting his eyes and rubbing his temple, feeling a migraine kicking in.

"Enna," the older male addresses. "Please clear up the misunderstanding. I can't rely on your sister."

The younger bluenette nods. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>A while later, Roze and the others prepares to say their farewells.<p>

"Well, we'll be heading out now." Et and Enna exit the door while Ulrika and Roze see them off.

"Alright, get back safe," say Ulrika. Her long hair is still damp after having just outed the bath moments ago. The cold breeze turnes the lone strands stiff enough to break with a simple touch.

"You're forgetting I have a monster for a sister." Claims Enna.

"I'm not a monster!" Comes a holler from Et.

"Don't fight here, you're enough trouble already." Roze glares at the older Dysler sibling causing her to grimace. "Take care."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Enna bade goodbye and took one last glance at Roze and then Ulrika. She gives him a puzzled look when she noticed his observant gaze before he turns away.

_Enna looks oddly stiff for some reason_, think Ulrika.

As the siblings disappear into the dark, Roze and Ulrika heads back inside the silent room.

With her hair still wet, Ulrika couldn't sleep just yet. Her gaze is fixated on the 'terebii' in front of the couch. She saw a similar one at Et's house, but it was much larger than Roze's.

"Do you want to watch?" asks the bluenette. The blonde didn't answer, instead she crouches in front of it and peers at it curiously. She presses a few buttons, but nothing happens much to her disappointment. A few seconds later, a zzzzp is heard and the screen flashes on sending Ulrika falling back with a gasp.

"You...never touched a television before have you?"

The girl innocently shakes her head.

"...In my town...we had a radio box that voices came out of."

_She really is a country girl..._

Roze perches himself on the couch and grabs the remote and starts flipping channels, impressing the blonde with every changing image.

"Enna said that people in the box aren't really in there, but it's actually a recording that comes from a far off place, but you can see them just by pressing a button." The girl claims in awe.

"That's the gist of it," replies Roze, slightly amused. Somehow, Ulrika really resembles a pet much more than an actual person. If he were to say it out loud, however, she would probably throw another fit. So he keeps his comment to himself.

"You should sit back," advises Roze. "You'll go blind if you sit that close."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Ulrika makes way over to the couch and upon contact she bounces up immediately.

"Woah!" she exclaims.

Roze peers at her questioningly.

"It's incredibly soft!" the girl splutters. Kneeling down, the girl began to poke at the couch and squeal delightfully at the soft material.

"Hey..." the male calls, but she didn't respond. The girl continued to press against the pads in awe at the bounce, completely ignoring Roze.

"If you're not going to watch-"

"Wow, this feels so nice!" she cries as she leans her cheek against the armrest.

"I'm turning it off," continues Roze, but again she did not respond and continues to giggle childishly. Roze sighs.

"How'd they make this?" she asks airily.

"How would I know," She didn't hear him. Roze feels slightly annoyed. The girl is talking to herself, but she makes him feel like an idiot for answering. In a way, Roze is the one talking to himself.

"When you're done playing-" he starts, but is immediately cut off.

"Roze!" the girl calls happily. Okay, now he is officially annoyed.

"Listen-" he tries again.

"I really like this couch!" Why was he even bothering? The knight sighs and leans over the couch.

"Can I sleep here?" she asks, finding herself face to face with the blue eyed boy staring at her intently.

"Do you want to sleep with me that much?" He asks with a straight face. His voice came out unintentionally low and smooth due to his lowered position.

A slight pause followd a blood rush causes Ulrika to fling herself back and away from Roze.

At least he has her attention now.

"Wha-what?" the girl stutters. "No! I-I'm still mad at you!"

Roze quirks an eyebrow.

_ Oh, right._ She is still mad about what happened today.

"So if you weren't mad, you would?"

The heat in her face rises. "H-how can you say that so openly? It's indecent!"

"So is poking at a couch and completely ignoring your host," Roze retorts.

As if Ulrika isn't humiliated enough. She turns her head away to hide her shame. Roze could see the burning shame flame from the tips of her ear.

"You can take the bed," Roze declares, turning over to his side and shutting his eyes. "I'm turning in."

After a few minutes of silence Ulrika decides to head to bed. Upon impact, Ulrika almost squeals, but the previous experience keeps her quiet. Really, she thought. How is it that that man could always keep his cool? Ulrika continues to enthusiastically snuggle against the pillow and blanket, indulging in silent pleasure as the fabric wraps around her. Compared to the furniture Roze owned at the cabin, the one's here were heavenly. Again, her thoughts continue to drift from one thing to another.

Time passes by, but Ulrika is still unable to sleep. Again, another sleepless night kept her company along with numerous thoughts. Even the comfort of the bed could not soothe away her dilemma.

She sighs quietly to herself. There are too many things she wants to let out. Things that occurred today and things that happened yesterday. Even things in general bug her keep nagging at her. Why is she so bothered by it all?

The girl lets out a deep sigh before snuggling deeper into the blanket, taking advantage of it's soothing physical prowess.

"Roze?" she calls quietly. No answer. He was probably already asleep. Well, it didn't matter if he was or wasn't, she thought, as long as she could get one of her worries off her chest.

"Sorry..." she whispers. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. Earlier too. They were my fault."

Silence. She sighs. Maybe she would be able to sleep easier, now.

"No...I'm at fault, too." Came a voice amidst the dark, scaring Ulrika. "Sorry."

The thumping of her heart was all too clear to Ulrika. She suspects the man to be asleep, but was actually awake. He really heard her.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she asks innocently.

"No."

A few more minutes of silence ensue before the sound of Ulrika's voice broke through.

"I want the couch."

Roze opens his eyes to find a silhouette outlined above him, slightly startling him.

"What are you doing?" he ask, guarded.

"I can't sleep. Can I watch the...T.V for a bit?"

Roze pauses and then sighs. "Knock yourself out."

There is no point in arguing with the stubborn girl.

After swapping places, Ulrika turns on the television and happily plays around with the control. She eventually figures out how to distinguish the buttons, but something tells Roze that she is not as happy as she lets off.

Ulrika continues flipping channels, until she reaches a family sitcom.

Apparently, the eldest daughter eloped with her boyfriend leaving the family devastated and the second son wants to leave for college. The family is extremely close, but they are slowly breaking apart. Every character has some kind of problem and tries hard to cope with it. Some of their antics are funny, but Ulrika couldn't find the humor in it. Maybe she just isn't in the mood.

Out of all the characters, the runaway daughter stands out to her the most. Although the girl barely had any mention, she presents Ulrika with the most familiarity. It wasn't the situation that reminds Ulrika of herself (although it vaguely reminded her of Et), but the choices that had befallen on her.

The eldest daughter was prideful and smart, her family loved her and expected much from her, but she threw it all away for an unstable love. The worst part of it is that she isn't really in love, but deludes herself into believing that she would one day fall in love with the man. The family knew so they forbade her from seeing him, knowing fully well that the one who would be hurt most wasn't her but the other party. Yet the girl didn't listen and chose to run away solely because of her selfish desire to leave everything behind and start anew and far away.

_What a selfish girl,_ thinks Ulrika. _How can she be so stupid and throw everything away? How can she turn her back on everyone and keep living, knowing she hurt them?_

Ulrika hate the daughter instantly. The girl obviously takes everything she has for granted and selfishly does as she pleases. But the girl strangely reminds her of herself.

No, no! Ulrika shakes her head.

"I'm not like her," she whispers softly. The volume is quite low, but it is enough to cover her.

_'...You're nothing special.'_ A voice rings in her head. And he is right, she thinks.

There is nothing special about her, unlike the smart and prideful daughter whom everyone looks upon with high expectations.

"We're different!" she mutters to herself.

_That's right, I don't have to do those things. I don't have to live up to that man's expectations. I'm not hurting anyone. He's just forcing his values on me, even though I..._

"...I don't belong here." Ulrika cradles her legs against her chest and buries her face. "I don't have anything like that, so-so stop."

_Don't expect anything out of me._

"I'm not important." Ulrika hiccups silently into her arms.

_Don't treat me like I matter, because I..._

A soft flutter suddenly covers Ulrika, causing her to flinch. Looking, up she found the culprit.

"You're cold."

Ulrika pushes the blanket away. "I'm not."

_...I'm afraid._

The man lets out a small sigh.

"As long as you're here, I have a duty to you."

"Sorry, I'm an inconvenience, but don't bother yourself with me." Her mind eggs her keep her distance.

_I don't matter, so don't..._

"Inconvenience or not, I can't leave you alone."

Roze wraps the blanket around her shoulders.

"I'm fine," Ulrika continues to repel.

_Don't get so close..._

"Even if you say that, I can't."

"...Why?" she asks, briskly.

"You're the type people can't help, but worry over," he answers without restraint.

She quickly flops down spreading herself across the couch.

"I'm going to sleep," she mumbles underneath the covers.

"Alright," he said. Roze perches himself on the floor against the armrest and stares at the television.

"What are you doing?" asks Ulrika.

_This is bad,_ she notes.

"Can't sleep," Is the answer she receives. Ulrika remains hidden under the blanket refusing to be seen.

After a while Ulrika pops out her head to check on the bluenette. He hadn't moved since he sat down beside her.

She doesn't know how long he sat there or how long she stared. It puzzled her.

_Don't...don't..._

Why is he doing this?

"You're so stubborn," she mumbles. Roze doesn't move, but at least he answers her.

"You're the same."

Ulrika also remains fixed in her position and continues to stare at the back of his head until her eyes begin to droop. Strange, she thinks. His presence makes her sleepy, as if calming the storm of her anxieties. Soon, all she sees is black.

Gentle arms wrap around her and lift her off the couch, resting her over to the soft mattress.

_...Stop...or else..._

As Roze fixes her blanket and tucks her in, with the help of the television lights, he could not help but notice how different she looks.

"I guess clothes really do make the man," he whispers. A light punch taps against his chest.

"I'm not a man..." Ulrika's voice drawls sleepily as she peers at him with half open lids.

"It's just a proverb," chuckles Roze, his eyes still lingering on her. "I meant it suits you."

Feeling his gaze, Ulrika turns away weakly, before questioning him.

_I won't be able to stop._

"Anything else?" she softly asks, feeling slight embarrassed.

Roze doesn't speak at first and just ponders for a while.

"That dress..." he begins, "is oddly familiar."

He feels like he'd seen the dress before. It is fluttery and tight fitting, simple yet still stunning. The image of the dress dancing to the wind as the owner turns around vaguely appears in his head.

"But, I don't recall Et ever wearing that."

Ulrika feels her stomach flutter as a smile crept to her face.

_...I...I will definitely..._

"...It's not Et's..." the girl sings softly.

Suddenly, Roze remembers perfectly where he'd seen the dress.

"...Erm..." A small cough erupted from Roze's throat. "...I see..."

"Goodnight," he mumbles awkwardly as he turns off the television set and made his way to the couch.

"Night, (k)night." She returns still smiling innocently while falling into her own fluttery realm.

The last image they see is a beautiful, frail, and thin figure with soft, chin length, light blue hair and honest, innocently pleading eyes.

_...I'll become attached._

* * *

><p><strong>End of Chapter.<strong>

**A/N: Any confusions or concerns? If not, please leave a comment instead. **

**For those wondering about the last image, I hope you can figure it out yourself. Oh by the way, the image they see in this chapter is different from the one Ulrika sees in the beginning.**

**If you still wanna know who it is...**

**DUNDUNDUN!**

**...**

**...**

**The answer is**

**Enna!**

**Well that's it for now folks!**


	5. Free Falling

**A/N: Hello, with this new chapter I bring in more characters, hooray! Sorry, no MK1 characters just yet. They will appear, I promise. It has also been brought to my attention that the last part was a bit confusing. I have gone back and edited it so now there is more details. Thanks Yami no Majou077 for the heads up and comment!**

* * *

><p>The day starts off simply with Enna coming to pick Ulrika up. Roze and Et had long left for their morning duties and now Ulrika and Enna are out once again in hopes that the tailor Yun is back.<p>

When Enna first arrives, she has a hard time not laughing and pinching his cheeks. He stares at her wide eyed and alarmed as she comments at his boyishness. In truth, she wants to out right call him girly, but that would be too hurtful for the boy's ego. In the end however, she finds it too hard not to tease him.

"Enna, that's a really girly name," she says bluntly.

"Shut up, I didn't pick it because I wanted it," he replies sourly.

"Then who gave it to you?" But he doesn't answer.

"Aww, come on don't be such a sour puss. It's because you are always so negative that people pick on you! You make yourself a target."

Enna stays quiet until finally giving in with a sigh.

"It was Et. I was about two years old when she decided that she wanted to switch names. She said mine was easier so she became Et, short for Etward and I was Enna for Ennarcia."

Ulrika looks at him pitifully at the thought of having his life completely run by Et. He sees her look and becomes mildly irritated, but knows that she isn't the one that caused it.

"Well, what's our plan today, cute little Ennarcia Dysler?" He groans hearing his full name being called out.

"Et says that she wants us to stop by and help her escape the office. She's on desk duty right now because she's always shirking off the steady work. Since it's piled up, the higher officers have her locked down. Serves her right and you know it."

The blonde nods in agreement knowing the Pink head would likely run off at any given chance. If Ulrika by chance enters the office, the bubbly girl would snag the chance to run off and parade the city.

"We'll go there after the fitting, that is, if you still want to do this."

"You're being considerate now? If my memory serves me right, you begged me to take on the 'maiden' role just so that you could get people to stop talking about us."

"I don't like being the center of attention nor around it, but since no one else is pestering us, I can care less what they want. I'm surprised though, yesterday you didn't want to do it at all, what gives?"

Her lips twist downward recalling the conversation she had with the eccentric commander of the stationed brigade. He didn't seem right in the head, but something told Ulrika that his insight is slightly deeper yet farfetched than any one else she has ever encountered. Something about the way he went about ridiculous plots that look absurd might have a completely different reasoning.

But for now, they focus on their mission at hand, tracking down the mysterious tailor.

It doesn't take long until a tall bodied man in thin clothing to appear at the store doors.

"Hmm, Enna correct?" comes a young yet wise voice.

Getting a closer look, Ulrika notices his dark skin under the openings of his thinly covered attire. She nearly shivers imagining the cold in such little cloth. The man's hair glows fierce red. It has a different lighter tint than the commander's crimson red, but both have a unique brilliance and glow to them. With every step he takes, his hair waves like untamed fire.

Ulrika also notices the deep sature of his red eyes.

"I am Yun, a tailor and mercenary of sorts."

She gasps when his eyes lock with hers and sends shivers across her entire body. She feels stiff, uncomfortable, but a warmth dances in her belly.

"And may I ask my lady for her name?" His voice is smooth but it shakes her mentality. She can't quite place why he has such an affect on her, but she thinks that maybe it is his eyes. Something about them breaches her in a place she herself cannot reach.

"I-I'm Ulrika," she stutters, earning a glance from Enna. She fidgets momentarily until the man before her offers them commodity inside his humble store.

Ulrika doesn't speak much after that leaving Enna and Yun to go over the details of the costume she would wear for the Winter Bloom. She watches as Enna briefs Yun over the recent events leading to the maiden's wear. She notices Yun's surprise and quick glances, each time turning away before looking back. She would do the same for every time they locked eyes, her stomach would flutter and her heart beat would speed.

When it came time for her tailoring, she nearly shrieked off their ears at the simplest touch. After calming down, they were able to proceed.

The man thought her weird, she presumes.

She watches quietly as the man went over her accurately recording her fits. She would keep to herself every time he brushed her skin and she would turn red from his warm touch. She could never say that it felt nice, comforting even from just a stroke by him. It is strange yet oddly familiar to her and she wants to know why, why did this man affect her so?

"Do you have a preference, maiden?"

Her confusion is clear, but wiped away when she remembers her new 'role'.

"Such as a style you like to wear..." he continues to ensure that she does not misunderstand.

She shakes her head. "N-no...anything will do..."

Ulrika simply did not know what kind of fashion would be in style and wants no more humiliation than she has already sustained.

"Then, would you permit me to make the accustoms to my taste?"

"Sure." Is all she says.

After a while, her fitting is completed and they soon say their goodbyes.

"I will have the materials in within the next three days. I'll send a message for you so that I may begin the tailoring."

"W-would it be alright if I stopped by tomorrow?"

The look on Yun's face is clearly surprise. Enna however receives a bigger shock. Ulrika too couldn't believe the words that came out so fast to be hers.

"O-or...when you aren't busy, I mean you probably are so I shouldn't bother you!" Ulrika could not hide the anxiety in her voice as it continued to shake even when she had already stopped speaking.

Wiping away the shock, Yun gracefully bows.

"I would be honored if the maiden so wishes it. Please feel free to stop by anytime."

"Y-yeah...umm, thanks."

"Until we meet again, maiden." Yun smiles and Ulrika feels her stomach flip. She rushes out of the store dragging Enna out with her. She finds herself smiling brighter than the midday sun.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"What's up with you today? You've been smiling nonstop." Enna quirks a brow as Ulrika's smile falters into a frown.

"There's nothing wrong with me! I-I just have something to look forward to now!" The younger boy looks at her brightening face, clearly doubtful that that is all there is to it.

"First you get all quiet, scream from a bare touch, and now you want to see him again? Something wrong? I'd say that falls into the 'yes' category."

"Hmph, so what? I just really want to see him again, is that so wrong?" Upset, Ulrika turns her head away.

"Guess not, but I still think something is wrong with you..."

"And that would be...?" She questions the thin boy.

_'I thought that you might like Roze-nii, but now I think you might have fallen in love with Yun,'_ is what Enna wants to say, but what comes out is, "You're so weird."

"I'm not weird! It's you guys that always gets me into these weird situations," Ulrika argues back, while Enna simply shrugs with an 'oh'.

Fuming, Ulrika continues to banter with the younger boy as they head into the plaza.

The pair stop by a small restaurant called 'Puni Paradise', where Ulrika met three round brothers who are well known chefs in the city. Enna using his connections, was able to reserve a table for the two and eat peacefully away from gossiping crowds. Ulrika was not as wary as he, so he took it upon himself to make sure that their day remained peaceful and as uneventful as possible.

While Enna left to pay the bill, Ulrika gulps down the last spoonful of pumpkin stew in the pot. She loves the taste of pumpkin as she recalls it is quite the common treat in her hometown. While the thought tastes a little sour as she still couldn't recall her home, the sweet smell of stew is able to blow her worries away. She indulges herself happily until a striking silhouette catches the corner of her eyes. It is quick and almost inconceivable, but Ulrika is positive that she had seen it.

She gulps down her saliva, thickly, to keep her affirmations down before quickly setting off after the shadow.

Ulrika runs across town endlessly. She does not stop for breath until she reaches the podium at the center of town. It occurs to her that it may have been a fruitless chase. She is chasing a 'shadow', she thinks and then laughs sarcastically to herself. Now that she is here, she remembers that she left behind Enna, who will probably give her an earful later for ditching him. The stupidity of her actions are clear to her. As clear as the sky is right now and as clear as the orb that sits above the clock tower.

Ulrika notices the great view and angle as she sits on the fountain ridges. She can clearly see the stone beast and it's angelic wings. The beast had four legs but stands on it's hind while the front hovers in the air. It's face is points up at the orb as if drawing power from it.

Ulrika suddenly remembers that this is the place in which she was chosen as the next maiden. They brought her to the podium, a ten foot high stage in her opinion, and announced her succession at the tip for all to see and hail. She did not get a good look last time because of the commotion. Now that she is here without the extensive crowd and attention, she is able to see the surroundings.

Her eyes fall back to the orb and how it shines. It's beautiful green hue looks to be swirling on the inside. Ulrika nearly falls into a trance just looking at it, but it feels like a spell has already been cast.

The next thing she hears is a scream.

"No! Let her go! Please!" says a voice.

"She's too young, she hasn't done anything wrong!" says another.

The voices are horror stricken.

Ulrika's eyes swivel around to pinpoint the cries, but she sees no hurdle.

"Don't, don't do it!" another cries.

The voices sound all too close, as if she were standing in the middle of it. The voices continue to shout in terror and agony and she doesn't know how to stop it. There is a pang in her heart and she looks up once more at the orb. It isn't swirling anymore, but glowing and spinning hypnotically.

Her eyes hit the ground to sort out her dizziness, but instead they catch a pair of thin legs.

It races pass her and up the stairs to the podium. A strong pull lifts Ulrika to her feet and soon she chases the being before her.

Ulrika's eyes glue on to the form and she nearly looses her breath. The chase ends.

"You don't have to do this," Ulrika finds herself saying. She's puzzled as to why so many emotions are welling inside of her. She wants to scream _'what is going on?'_ but what comes out instead is, "Didn't we promise to always be together?"

It finally dawns on her that she has been the one screaming, terrified the entire time and now she is trying to stop...something, someone...

"I've always done something mean and horrible to you," the figure speaks, "but you stayed beside me no matter what." Ulrika shakes her head and words suddenly spill forth from her mouth.

"It doesn't matter, you have done the same for me...I don't want it to end!"

"I have to go...I have to do this," says the voice, softly yet resolutely and Ulrika hopelessly finds herself questioning,

"Why?"

The being suddenly becomes a familiar shape, petite and feminine with messy long hair, like the one she saw from the restaurant.

"Because I love you."

The familiar form turns to walk away and Ulrika finds herself reaching out to her and calling for her to stop.

"Wait!" Her fingers make contact.

The shadow turns around and her face is suddenly clear.

"What are you doing? Unhand her you looney!" Ulrika releases the girl in front of her while also being released from her trance.

"Are you some kind of pervert?!" screams the stranger, actually a knight, clenches her shoulders. The man shakes her and she is able to regain only little of her senses. How would she be able to explain what had just happened?

"No! Let go!" Ulrika shouts and fights off the man's hold. "That's not-"

In doing so, her balance is lost and she trips over, knocking into the person she had just accosted.

They had been too close to the edge and fell right over. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought that this would be her end.

_I love you..._

_because I love you..._

_…I..._

Once more images and shadows flash before her eyes. Once more she tries to grasp at the distant form. Once more she fails.

So once again she falls into a light bliss, bright and white.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"..."

"Puniyo is fine, just a little startled. How's sleeping beauty over there?" A man with thick white hair pulled into a high knot cradles a young and shaken girl in his arms, petting her head gently to ease away her fears.

"No injuries, but she's out cold." Says the other man with long blue locks tied in a low side pony tail. In his arms lie Ulrika.

"Hmm, that was quite the episode back there, don't you think? It's a good think we made it in time, it wouldn't be fun if we lost the main event." The white haired man smiled widely while gazing at Ulrika's defenseless form.

"You're probably the only one who can find a situation like this entertaining." Speaks the other in a somewhat cold and disdaining voice.

"Oh lighten up, has anyone ever told you that you're an unsocial prick?" The smiling man flashes his eyes at the other, while earning a hard glare in return.

"And you are a sick bastard," came a harsh reply.

The white haired man shrugs, "That's no way to talk to you're superior, but what you say ain't far from the truth either. Well, it's a good thing I decided to drag your cooped-in-ass out for some 'rounds'."

His eyes fall back down to the young girl in his arms and pets her once more to assure that she is safe.

"Glad we 'caught' it." A humorous yet slightly crazed laughter fills the air earning a sigh from the colder man. He too looks down to the girl in his arms. Blue strands of hair fall out carelessly in front of his eyes, but he doesn't seem to mind. Instead, he takes one hand and strokes the sleeping blonde's hair gently away from her face.

"...You fall too easily, Ulrika."

* * *

><p><strong>End of Chapter <strong>

**A/N: So...I'm getting tired of all these sleeping scenes but I can't get rid of them since I need them for the story. Also, it's not too hard to guess who the characters are with the descriptions now, right? Any suggestions, questions, comments, criticism, are totally welcome. Have a good night.**


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